In this episode, Mary Conquest speaks with Gareth Lock, the owner of The Human Diver, an organization that improves the safety and performance of divers through an understanding of human error. Gareth’s safety career spans over 20 years, and he uses his experience in managing high-risk operations to help HSE professionals improve workplace safety.

After sharing his fascinating journey from flying in the sky to diving underwater, Gareth explains why attributing accidents to human error actually hinders learning. He also recommends managing uncertainty rather than risk (numerical probabilities that can’t account for human reliability) and gives practical guidance on how to make this shift.

A key focus of this fascinating interview is the importance of safety pre-briefs, debriefs and validating plans through training: “It’s much better to sort problems on the surface before you go into water”.

Gareth introduces the concept of inclusive ‘learning reviews’ that uncover a safety event’s rich context and ‘second stories’. They help EHS professionals move past the immediate cause and blame to understand and address the complex combination of converging factors.

An underlying theme to Gareth’s interview is the need for organizations to shift from a blame culture to a ‘just culture’ - where the workforce feels psychologically safe to speak out, and leadership recognizes that human error is inevitable.

Gareth is as passionate about safety as he is about diving, and his insight applies to any environment where people are involved. 

Find out more about Gareth’s company, The Human Diver:

https://www.thehumandiver.com/

The Human Diver’s YouTube channel with over 30 video resources:

The Human Diver - YouTube

Watch “If Only”, Gareth’s documentary about a tragic and avoidable diving accident:

If Only... (thehumandiver.com)

Gareth Lock on LinkedIn:

Gareth Lock | LinkedIn

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