In this episode, we explore why Human Factors are crucial in diving, even if you haven’t experienced an accident. Drawing from high-risk industries like NASA and aviation, we highlight how human errors often lead to major incidents, even when no technical failures are present. We discuss real-life diving examples where poor communication, peer pressure, or lack of planning led to dangerous situations. By "sweating the small stuff" and embracing constructive feedback, divers can improve teamwork, decision-making, and safety. We also introduce the Human Factors Skills in Diving courses, which teach these vital skills, showing their importance both in diving and other high-performance environments.

Original blog: https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/what-relevance-does-human-factors-have-to-recreational-and-technical-diving

Links: NASA and the Challenger and Columbia disasters

An Executive Jet crew who forgot to remove the gust lock

Pilot who didn’t drain the water from his fuel tanks http://www.kathrynsreport.com/2012/07/experimental-plane-crash-at-sandy-creek.html

Student who bailed out of his CCR https://www.divingincidents.org/reports/136

Instructor diving with out of date cells https://cognitasresearch.wordpress.com/2015/05/04/ccr-incident-feb-2013-double-cell-failure-human-factors-inquest-report/

Recently qualified AOW diver https://issuu.com/divermedicandaquaticsafety/docs/divermedicmagazine_issue6

Even experts make mistakes http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1397693/Wrong-kidney-surgeon-ignored-me-says-student.html

Tags: English, Diving, Gareth Lock, Human Factors, Performance, Safety

Tristan Hughes

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