by Gareth Lock at The Human Diver
Human 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.
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
10/1/2023
Email Addresses
1 available
Phone Numbers
0 available
April 30, 2025
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Accidents in diving, and life, rarely stem from a single "root cause" but rather from a complex interplay of factors—technical skills, context, randomness, and non-technical skills like communication and decision-making. This episode explores how cognitive biases, such as the fundamental attribution error, often lead us to blame individuals rather than considering the broader system in which events unfold. Drawing parallels from diving, surgery, and other high-stakes environments, we discuss the importance of understanding the full context, embracing feedback, and focusing on interdependencies to improve safety and outcomes. Tune in to challenge your assumptions and expand your perspective on risk and decision-making.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Original blog: </span><a href="https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/the-root-cause-of-an-accident"><span style="font-weight: 400;">https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/the-root-cause-of-an-accident</span></a></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Links: Fundamental attribution bias: </span><a href="https://gue.com/blog/the-role-of-agency-when-discussing-diving-incidents-an-adverse-event-occurs-an-instructor-makes-a-mistake/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">https://gue.com/blog/the-role-of-agency-when-discussing-diving-incidents-an-adverse-event-occurs-an-instructor-makes-a-mistake/</span></a></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The rise of human factors paper: </span><a href="https://europepmc.org/article/med/31183182#free-full-text"><span style="font-weight: 400;">https://europepmc.org/article/med/31183182#free-full-text</span></a></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Tags: English, Gareth Lock, Incident Investigation, Investigations</span></p>
April 26, 2025
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In this episode, Gareth Lock delves into the nature of human error, exploring concepts like slips, lapses, mistakes, and violations through the lens of safety research and diving experiences. Drawing on James Reason’s work, Gareth explains how understanding errors and violations—whether unintended or situational—can foster learning, reduce outcome bias, and improve safety systems. By openly discussing mistakes, instructors can lower authority gradients, increase psychological safety, and promote a Just Culture where errors are seen as opportunities for growth rather than blame. Tune in to learn how these principles apply to diving and beyond.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Original blog: </span><a href="https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/mistakes-errors-words-have-meaning"><span style="font-weight: 400;">https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/mistakes-errors-words-have-meaning</span></a></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Tags: English, Decision Making, Gareth Lock, Human Error, Psychological Safety</span></p>
April 23, 2025
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In this episode, Gareth Lock explores the critical role of checklists in enhancing safety and reducing errors in high-risk environments like diving, surgery, and aviation. Drawing insights from Atul Gawande's </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Checklist Manifesto</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">, Gareth highlights how properly designed checklists can prevent lapses, improve communication, and establish a culture of accountability. Despite resistance from those who view checklists as unnecessary or a sign of weakness, evidence shows their ability to save lives by addressing "unknown unknowns" and mitigating human error. Gareth shares personal experiences and emphasizes the importance of embracing checklists to ensure safety, reliability, and performance in diving and beyond.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Original blog: </span><a href="https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/surgeons-and-checklists"><span style="font-weight: 400;">https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/surgeons-and-checklists</span></a></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Links: Downloads and Transcripts of Atul Gawande’s lectures: </span><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00729d9/episodes/player"><span style="font-weight: 400;">http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00729d9/episodes/player</span></a></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The problem with not using checklists: </span><a href="http://aerossurance.com/helicopters/habits-kill/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">http://aerossurance.com/helicopters/habits-kill/</span></a></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Checklist manifesto: </span><a href="https://cognitasresearch.wordpress.com/2015/01/17/only-20-of-surgeons-would-like-to-use-a-checklist-in-their-operations/0px%20!important;%22%20/%3E"><span style="font-weight: 400;">https://cognitasresearch.wordpress.com/2015/01/17/only-20-of-surgeons-would-like-to-use-a-checklist-in-their-operations/0px%20!important;%22%20/%3E</span></a></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">NHS checklist: </span><a href="http://www.nrls.npsa.nhs.uk/resources/?entryid45=59860"><span style="font-weight: 400;">http://www.nrls.npsa.nhs.uk/resources/?entryid45=59860</span></a></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">DAN study: </span><a href="http://www.alertdiver.com/checklists"><span style="font-weight: 400;">http://www.alertdiver.com/checklists</span></a></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Checklist design: </span><a href="http://ti.arc.nasa.gov/profile/adegani/procedure-design/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">http://ti.arc.nasa.gov/profile/adegani/procedure-design/</span></a></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Chain of events of things going wrong (1): </span><a href="http://silentdiversion.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/human-error-dont-blame-rebreather.html?spref=fb&m=1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">http://silentdiversion.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/human-error-dont-blame-rebreather.html?spref=fb&m=1</span></a></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">(2): </span><a href="https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2018/06/05/navy-officer-35-dies-in-off-duty-diving-mishap/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2018/06/05/navy-officer-35-dies-in-off-duty-diving-mishap/</span></a></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Tags: English, Checklists, Gareth Lock, Human Factors</span></p>
Nicholas Hogle
UTD Scuba Diving
The Dive Table
Brando & James
ABC News, 538, FiveThirtyEight, Galen Druke
New York Times Opinion
Comedy Central
The New York Times
Crooked Media
Kenny Dyal
Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher
Tec Clark: Scuba Diving Educator, Speaker, Author
Roman Mars
iHeartPodcasts
Brent Sutton
Pod Engine is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or officially connected with any of the podcasts displayed on this platform. We operate independently as a podcast discovery and analytics service.
All podcast artwork, thumbnails, and content displayed on this page are the property of their respective owners and are protected by applicable copyright laws. This includes, but is not limited to, podcast cover art, episode artwork, show descriptions, episode titles, transcripts, audio snippets, and any other content originating from the podcast creators or their licensors.
We display this content under fair use principles and/or implied license for the purpose of podcast discovery, information, and commentary. We make no claim of ownership over any podcast content, artwork, or related materials shown on this platform. All trademarks, service marks, and trade names are the property of their respective owners.
While we strive to ensure all content usage is properly authorized, if you are a rights holder and believe your content is being used inappropriately or without proper authorization, please contact us immediately at [email protected] for prompt review and appropriate action, which may include content removal or proper attribution.
By accessing and using this platform, you acknowledge and agree to respect all applicable copyright laws and intellectual property rights of content owners. Any unauthorized reproduction, distribution, or commercial use of the content displayed on this platform is strictly prohibited.