The human factor: Pursuing success and averting drift into failure – YT video, Sidney Dekker

A 2018 presentation from Sid Dekker on success and drift into failure. One of many such, and no particular reason why this one over any other. Sid starts with an example he heard, supporting the bad apple thesis: “just get rid of the nurses who make mistakes and all will be a lot safer” “Now… Continue reading The human factor: Pursuing success and averting drift into failure – YT video, Sidney Dekker

Safety Culture or: How cultures can both sensitise or blind us to danger

I’ve long been critical of the construct, and application of, ‘safety culture’ (at best, I’d probably be described as from the interpretive camp—e.g. ‘culture-as-metaphor’). I’ve covered lots of articles why – and others have argued far more nuanced reasons. So, I’m not covering that now. But in saying that, I’ve always found the following definition… Continue reading Safety Culture or: How cultures can both sensitise or blind us to danger

Foundations of Safety Science: Resilience Engineering and safety as the presence of capacities

More extracts from Foundations of Safety Science, this time from Ch.11 on Resilience Engineering and the adaptive perspective. This is 1 of probably 2 or 3 more posts. Some extracts: These logics come from a wider body of safety science, which includes some intertwined positions, like: Parts 2 & 3…some other time. Ref: Dekker, S.… Continue reading Foundations of Safety Science: Resilience Engineering and safety as the presence of capacities

Models of drift: man-made disaster & incubation, systemic migration, normalisation of deviance, practical drift

More extracts from Foundations of Safety Science, this time some points around the different perspectives of drift and disaster incubation. Some points: ·        “Disasters do not come out of the blue, says man-made disaster theory” but are “preceded by sometimes lengthy periods of gradually increasing risk” ·        These risks often go unnoticed or unrecognised – incubation period… Continue reading Models of drift: man-made disaster & incubation, systemic migration, normalisation of deviance, practical drift