Episode 200 - Dr. Jake Mazulewicz - Integrating After Action Reviews (AARs) into Occupational Safety

Dr. Ayers and Dr. Jake Mazulewicz discuss how After Action Reviews (AARs) — long used by military and emergency response teams — can dramatically improve learning, communication, and operational safety in everyday work. AARs help organizations learn not only from incidents, but from routine work, where most learning opportunities actually live.

  🧠 Key Themes 1. AARs Are a Proven Learning Tool

AARs have been used successfully for over 30 years in:

• Military units

• Fire and rescue teams

• Emergency response organizations

These groups rely on AARs because they create fast, honest, structured learning loops after every mission or event. Sources:

  2. AARs Help Employees Learn From Everyday Work

Dr. Mazulewicz emphasizes that most learning opportunities come from:

• Normal operations

• Near misses

• Small deviations

• Routine tasks

AARs make learning continuous instead of waiting for something to go wrong. Sources:

  3. AARs Are Simple, Fast, and Repeatable

AARs typically revolve around four core questions:

1. What was supposed to happen?

2. What actually happened?

3. Why were there differences?

4. What can we learn or improve?

This structure keeps the conversation focused and productive.

  4. AARs Build Psychological Safety

AARs work best when:

• Leaders model humility

• Blame is removed

• Employees feel safe speaking honestly

• The focus is on learning, not fault

This encourages transparency and continuous improvement.

  5. AARs Strengthen Safety Culture

When used consistently, AARs:

• Improve communication

• Build trust

• Increase engagement

• Reduce repeat mistakes

• Strengthen operational discipline

They become part of “how we work,” not a special event.

  🚀 Leadership Takeaways

• AARs are one of the most effective learning tools in high‑risk industries.

• They help teams learn from everyday work, not just incidents.

• The structure is simple — the discipline is what matters.

• Psychological safety is essential for honest reflection.

• Consistent AARs build a stronger, more resilient safety culture.