Gareth Lock - Compliance provides an illusion of safety in diving

Summary

The speaker discusses the importance of human factors and psychological safety in high-risk industries like diving. He challenges traditional safety approaches, arguing that compliance often creates a false sense of security. Instead, he emphasizes the value of building resilience through experience, feedback, and a just culture. The speaker highlights the risks of relying solely on standardized procedures, citing the Challenger disaster and other industry examples. He advocates for systems that foster learning, innovation, and safety, urging a shift from compliance to practical decision-making informed by real-world experience.

Takeaways

• 😀 Safety is not just the absence of accidents and incidents, but the presence of barriers, defenses, and the capacity to fail safely.
• 😀 Compliance in safety management can provide an illusion of safety, but real safety is about creating a system where failure can be managed without catastrophic consequences.
• 😀 The concept of 'normalization of deviance' shows how organizations can gradually shift their perception of risk without realizing it, often leading to disasters.
• 😀 Organizational drift is a process where work, as imagined (in standards), deviates from work as done (on the ground), and this gap is where risk exists.
• 😀 Human factors, psychological safety, and a just culture are crucial for learning from mistakes and improving safety performance in high-risk industries like diving.
• 😀 When safety standards are followed rigidly without considering the reality of how work is actually performed, accidents are more likely to occur due to the gap between theory and practice.
• 😀 A focus on compliance and ticking boxes doesn't necessarily lead to operational safety but merely protects against litigation, not real-world hazards.
• 😀 Building experience and learning from past actions (debriefing, feedback, and sharing 'warts and all' stories) is critical for making effective, real-time decisions in high-risk environments.
• 😀 Risk management should shift from focusing solely on numbers and probabilities to managing uncertainties and understanding how biases and mental shortcuts influence decision-making.
• 😀 Creating a culture of psychological safety allows employees to freely share how they adapt and deviate from prescribed standards, ultimately leading to improvements in organizational performance.

Q & A

What is the main argument presented in the speaker's talk?

The speaker argues that compliance with safety protocols creates an illusion of safety, and that a focus on human factors, just culture, and psychological safety is essential to truly manage safety in high-risk environments like diving.

What does Todd Conklin's definition of safety highlight?

Todd Conklin's definition highlights that safety is not merely the absence of accidents but the presence of barriers and defenses within a system, along with its capacity to fail safely.

What is the concept of 'Normalization of Deviance' as discussed in the transcript?

Normalization of Deviance refers to the gradual shift in perception of risk where individuals or organizations start perceiving certain risks as acceptable or less dangerous over time, even though they deviate from standard protocols, as seen in the Challenger disaster.

What is the 'Organizational Drift' model?

The Organizational Drift model describes how safety standards are imagined and written but are often not followed perfectly in practice. It explains how work practices evolve and drift from prescribed standards, often due to human adaptability, and how safety is maintained through these deviations.

How does compliance with safety protocols differ from actual safety management?

Compliance with safety protocols is often seen as a checklist to tick off, but it doesn’t ensure real safety. Actual safety management involves understanding and adapting to the complexities of real-world situations, considering human behavior, and fostering a learning environment.

What role does psychological safety play in safety management, according to the speaker?

Psychological safety plays a critical role in safety management by encouraging open communication, honest feedback, and a just culture where mistakes are seen as opportunities to learn rather than occasions for punishment.

What is the difference between 'operational safety' and 'safety from litigation'?

Operational safety refers to ensuring that safety protocols are effectively preventing accidents in practice, while safety from litigation focuses on complying with legal requirements and protecting the organization from legal consequences, which doesn’t always align with true safety.

What is the importance of debriefing and feedback in improving safety performance?

Debriefing and feedback are crucial for improving safety performance because they provide an opportunity to reflect on what went well, identify areas for improvement, and create structured mental models that help individuals make better decisions in the future.

Why is compliance often not enough to prevent accidents, according to the speaker?

Compliance is often not enough because it doesn’t address the real-world complexities and human factors that influence behavior. People may follow written procedures but still deviate in ways that go unnoticed, creating a gap between prescribed work and actual work.

What are the consequences of focusing solely on compliance in high-risk industries like diving?

Focusing solely on compliance can lead to overlooking the actual safety risks that occur in real-world scenarios, as people may follow the rules mechanically without understanding the deeper factors that affect safety, such as human behavior, team dynamics, and environmental factors.