Stay ConnectedHuman factors is a critical topic within the world of SCUBA diving, scientific diving, military diving, and commercial diving. This podcast is a mixture of interviews and ‘shorts’ which are audio versions of the weekly blog from The Human Diver.
Each month we will look to have at least one interview and one case study discussion where we look at an event in detail and how human factors and non-technical skills contributed (or prevented) it from happening in the manner it did.
Copyright: © 2023 (c) The Human Diver 2023
In this podcast episode, we delve into the four stages of learning, offering insights into the learning journey of a diver, from novice to expert. We begin with the first stage, unconscious incompetence, where beginners are unaware of their lack of knowledge and often rely on step-by-step instructions. The journey continues to the second stage, conscious incompetence, where novices start to realize the vast amount of knowledge and skill they have yet to acquire, often referred to as the "Mount Stupid" phase. Moving on, we explore the third stage, conscious competence, where divers begin to master skills but still need to concentrate. Finally, we reach the fourth stage, unconscious competence, where experts can execute skills almost instinctively and effortlessly. The episode emphasizes the importance of recognizing and embracing these learning stages, highlighting the role of teaching, practice, and learning from others' mistakes in the process. It also touches upon the significance of diving incident stories in the learning journey.
Original blog:
https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/the-four-stages-of-learning
Links:
Dunning Kruger, Unskilled and Unaware of it
Learning from others mistakes: https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/why-diving-incident-stories-are-good-and-bad)
Tags:
Cognitive Biases, Decision Making, Jenny Lord
In this podcast episode, the focus is on the significance of learning from diving incidents, accidents, and near-misses, as these provide valuable lessons for safety improvement. While media attention tends to center on fatalities, the episode argues that a "Just Culture," emphasizing a psychologically-safe environment for open conversation, can promote better learning from incidents and near-misses. It addresses the prevalent tendency to blame individuals for adverse outcomes, highlighting the limitations of this approach, which doesn't consider the context or conditions that lead to these events. The episode introduces two contrasting perspectives: the Individual Blame Logic (IBL), which attributes incidents to individual choices and seeks to assign blame, and the Organisational Function Logic (OFL), which identifies systemic factors that influence outcomes and aims to improve the system. Through a case example, it illustrates how the OFL approach reveals multiple organizational and latent conditions. In conclusion, it underscores the importance of the OFL in creating a safer and more learning-oriented environment compared to the punitive IBL, which tends to conceal learning opportunities.
Original blog: https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/who-to-blame-what-to-learn
Links:
A review of LiteratureIndividucal Blame vs Organisational Functional Logics in Accident Analysis. Catino, 2008:
Tags:
- English, Decision-Making, Gareth Lock, Just Culture
This podcast episode delves into the concept of a "Just Culture" in the context of diving, addressing potential confusion within the diving community. A 'Just Culture' revolves around fostering an environment of trust where individuals are encouraged to share safety-related information without fear of retribution, while also defining the boundaries between acceptable and unacceptable behavior. However, this culture can be challenging to implement effectively, as it requires post-event determinations of what's acceptable, often influenced by various biases and societal pressures. The episode explores the need to differentiate a 'Just Culture' from a 'Just Do It' culture, emphasizing the importance of sharing context-rich stories to facilitate learning from near-misses, incidents, and accidents. In the world of adventure sports like diving, where inherent risks persist, understanding cognitive biases and promoting a culture of open storytelling is crucial. The episode also touches upon the hurdles of intentionally creating cultural change within sub-communities and highlights key steps to develop a 'Just Culture' to support learning from mistakes. In essence, this discussion sheds light on the significance of learning from others' experiences to enhance safety in diving.
Original blog:
https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/a-just-culture-is-not-a-just-do-it-culture
Links:
Messy World of Diving presentation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtgIwHrUWVQ&list=PLNXuyLsCTX6hHS3newpcROfJ_JiI27q3C&index=26
Safety Clutter paper: https://research-repository.griffith.edu.au/bitstream/handle/10072/382962/Rae159320.pdf?sequence=1
A System Safety perspective of Gross Negligence: https://lup.lub.lu.se/student-papers/search/publication/9114283
Normalisation of Devience blog: https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/normalisation-of-deviance-not-about-rule-breaking
Don’t Just Focus on the Errors blog: https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/don-t-just-focus-on-the-errors
Bad apples or bad day blog: https://gue.com/blog/do-bad-apples-actually-exist/
Risk or uncertainty blog: https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/risk-or-uncertainty
How to develop a Just Culture in healthcare study: https://bmjopenquality.bmj.com/content/12/1/e002049
HF for Dummies Just Culture blog: https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/hf-in-diving-for-dummies-part-3-just-culture
Is a Just Culture needed blog: https://gue.com/blog/is-a-just-culture-needed-to-support-learning-from-near-misses-and-diving-accidents/
Tags:
- English, Gareth Lock, Just Culture
In this podcast episode, we explore the concept of "common sense" and how it relates to decision-making, especially in uncertain situations like diving. Often, the hindsight bias leads us to believe that situations should have been obvious, but in reality, decision-making is influenced by various factors, including previous experiences and social interactions. We delve into the mechanisms behind decision-making, highlighting the importance of shared narratives and tribal learning in developing practical wisdom rather than relying on a vague notion of common sense. The episode emphasizes the role of debriefing and reflection in improving decision-making and fostering a psychologically safe environment for learning. So, next time someone mentions "common sense," consider the complexity of human decision-making and the context in which choices are made.
Original blog:
https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/common-sense
Links:
Article about naturalistic decision making:
AquaCORPS magazine:
Blog about hindsight bias:
https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/joining-dots-is-easy-if-you-know-the-outcome
TED talk from Barry Schwartz about Practical Wisdom:
https://www.ted.com/talks/barry_schwartz_using_our_practical_wisdom?language=en
Blog about debriefing:
https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/debriefing
Jenny and Mike’s DEBrIEF webinar:
DEBrIEF guide:
https://www.thehumandiver.com/debrief
Tags:
- English Decision-Making Gareth Lock Leadership Situation Awareness Teamwork
In this podcast episode, we delve into the crucial concepts of psychological safety and a Just Culture in the context of diving, teams, and organizations. These two terms, while closely related, have distinct roles in fostering learning, improvement, and safety. The episode begins with a scenario illustrating the interplay of these concepts in a diver's training journey, highlighting the impact of trust, vulnerability, and communication. Psychological safety, as defined by Professor Amy Edmondson, is explored in four stages: Inclusion Safety, Learner Safety, Contributor Safety, and Challenger Safety, each contributing to a learning-focused environment. A Just Culture, aimed at organizational improvement, is introduced as a way to analyze adverse events without resorting to blame. The episode provides insights into the proactive nature of psychological safety and the retrospective approach of a Just Culture in promoting safety and learning in diving and other domains. It emphasizes the need for open communication, understanding human error, and exploring conditions that influence behavior to enhance safety and performance.
Original blog:
https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/speaking-up-to-prevent-an-adverse-event-looking-back-to-learn
Links:
Blog about near misses:
https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/were-you-lucky-or-were-you-good-2
European aviation regulations:
https://www.caa.co.uk/media/sf3eiszu/fwm20160629_06_just-culture.pdf
Blog about hindsight bias:
https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/joining-dots-is-easy-if-you-know-the-outcome
Psychological safety toolkits by Tom Geraghty
https://psychsafety.co.uk/tool-kit/
Video about Psychological safety and Just Culture:
Tags:
- English Gareth Lock Just Culture Psychological Safety
In this episode, we explore the journey of Nic Emery, a graduate of the Human Factors in Diving course, as she shares her experiences in cultivating psychological safety within her dive center, The Fifth Point. Nic emphasizes that this endeavor is a continuous process, requiring self-reflection, time, and commitment. She narrates how her team began quietly building a culture of psychological safety since 2021, influenced by the principles of Human Factors in Diving. Nic highlights the importance of open communication, vulnerability, and feedback in fostering psychological safety, both within her team and among divers. She shares a pivotal moment when they decided not to dive due to challenging conditions and how it led to a realization about the authority gradient and the need for psychological safety among customers. Nic's story showcases the gradual integration of these concepts into their dive center's culture and the steps they are taking to make it a part of their customer experience. The episode provides insights into creating an environment where individuals feel empowered to speak up and contribute to safety.
Original blog:
https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/what-are-we-pretending-not-to-know
Links:
The Fifth Point diving:
Nic’s blog about why dive pro’s should talk about bad dives
https://fifthpointdiving.com/the-dive-pro-hub/why-dive-pros-should-talk-about-bad-dives/
Display design
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1a84tbFQcJe4RTbzxb20MWUMwJLX45gLZ?usp=sharing
More blogs about psychological safety
https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog?tag=psychological+safety
Building a team series
https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/team-building-psych-safety-1
https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/team-building-psych-safety-2
https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/team-building-psych-safety-3
https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/team-building-psych-safety-4
Tags:
-English Leadership Nic Emery Psychological Safety Teamwork
In this podcast episode, we delve into the realm of Human Factors in diving, breaking down its fundamental concept of designing systems that facilitate correct actions and deter mistakes. Human Factors in diving encompasses various aspects, including improving teaching techniques, minimizing errors in equipment use, and promoting a culture of inquiry and learning within the diving community. We explore its history in aviation and nuclear power industries, highlighting the shift from blaming individuals to understanding system limitations and human performance. The episode introduces the SHELL framework, emphasizing the interdependence of hardware, environment, software, and people in complex systems. It discusses four perspectives of Human Factors: the psychology of humans, human characteristics, factors affecting humans, and socio-technical system interaction. Additionally, we examine survey results that reveal diver perceptions of Human Factors. The episode clears misconceptions, emphasizing that Human Factors is not common sense, politeness, or just the cause of accidents. It explores the role of checklists and the challenges of implementing Human Factors in diving. Ultimately, it underscores the importance of understanding the specifics of Human Factors for effective teaching and safety improvements in diving, and the need for training agencies to integrate Human Factors into their programs for the betterment of diver safety.
Original blog:
Links:
Insight into the background of Human Factors:
https://youtu.be/iHaQjoxQlLs?si=K0CGhCzvu8pwf6wr
The ‘SHELL’ framework used by the aviation community:
https://skybrary.aero/articles/icao-shell-model
The first of Steven Shorrock’s blogs about what Human Factors is:
https://humanisticsystems.com/2017/08/11/four-kinds-of-human-factors-1-the-human-factor/
Gareth’s presentation at Rebreather Forum 4.0
Another series of blogs from Steven Shorrock:
https://humanisticsystems.com/2019/07/10/what-human-factors-isnt-1-common-sense/
How to build a checklist (part 1 and 2)
https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/how-to-building-an-effective-checklist
https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/how-to-improve-diving-checklist-design-and-use
The training courses that The Human Diver run:
https://www.thehumandiver.com/training
GUE tv- Human Factors for beginners:
https://gue.tv/programs/human-factors-basics-for-divers
Resources from RF 4.0
https://bit.ly/rf4-resources
Tags:
- English Gareth Lock Human Factors
In this podcast episode, we explore the concept of Situation Awareness (SA) in diving. We learn what SA is, why it's crucial for safe diving, and how to recognize when it's compromised. The episode introduces a model by Mica Endsley that breaks SA into three layers: perception, comprehension, and projection. It then discusses why SA matters, emphasizing its significance in avoiding accidents and mishaps. The episode also provides valuable tips on how to improve your SA, such as conducting briefings, gaining experience in diverse conditions, practicing technical skills, and engaging in debriefings for shared learning. Developing habits and routines to maintain SA during dives is highlighted as a key takeaway for enhancing safety and decision-making underwater.
Original blog:
https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/how-to-improve-SA
Links:
You can’t pay MORE attention blog:
https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/cant_pay_MORE_attention
Tags:
- English Brief Debrief Decision-Making Mike Mason Situation Awareness
In this podcast episode, we delve into the concept of "Normalization of Deviance" in the context of diving. While it may seem like rule-breaking, it's actually about the social acceptance of deviating from established standards and practices. The episode explores how this phenomenon occurs in diving, where 'safety' is a social construct based on the absence of adverse events rather than legal rules. It delves into examples of drift at various levels, from industry-wide issues to individual behaviors like reducing gas minimums or exceeding depth limits. To address this, the episode emphasizes the need for performance-based standards, psychological safety, leadership development, and a Just Culture to prevent and correct the normalization of deviance.
Original blog:
https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/normalisation-of-deviance-not-about-rule-breaking
Links:
Blog about rule breaking and rule following
https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/they-broke-the-rules
Cognitive biases and heuristics
https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/i-am-biased-you-are-biased-we-are-all-biased
Drift
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jud_9k6fTHw
Minimums become targets
https://humanisticsystems.com/2019/10/24/shorrocks-law-of-limits/
UK HSE CCR report 2011
https://www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrhtm/rr871.htm
Psychological safety blogs
https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog?tag=psychological+safety
Challenger safety blog
https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/challenger-safety-control
Tags:
- English Decision-Making Gareth Lock Normalisation of Deviance Risk Risk Management
In the final installment of the series on building psychological safety in instructional and ‘fun diving’ environments, this podcast episode explores "challenger safety." It underscores the importance of creating an environment where team members feel comfortable questioning or challenging unsafe practices, including instructors. This safety aspect encourages open dissent aimed at constructive improvement and urges leaders to welcome disruptive ideas and bad news with a positive response. It also advocates for diverse teams to foster divergent thinking and emphasizes the need for leaders to revisit and explain past decisions, avoiding groupthink and encouraging critical thinking. The episode concludes by highlighting the role of leaders and instructors in setting the cultural tone and ensuring a safe environment where team members can end a dive when necessary.
Original blog:
https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/team-building-psych-safety-4
Links:
“If Only” documentary https://www.thehumandiver.com/ifonly
Why is it so hard to create a team quickly in diving, especially in classes?
Part One: Inclusion Safety
https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/team-building-psych-safety-1
Part Two: Learner Safety
https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/team-building-psych-safety-2
Part Three: Contributor Safety
https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/team-building-psych-safety-3
Tags:
- English Communications Gareth Lock Leadership Teamwork
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