Counter-Errorism in Diving: Applying Human Factors to Diving

In Part 2 of this blog, we delve into three more of the "Dirty Dozen" human factors—stress, complacency, and lack of teamwork—and explore their impact on diver performance and safety. Stress, whether acute or chronic, can reduce awareness and decision-making ability, while complacency often arises in routine tasks, lowering vigilance. A lack of teamwork, meanwhile, undermines coordination and increases risks during emergencies. Practical countermeasures like using checklists, fostering psychological safety, and setting clear team goals can help mitigate these issues, creating safer and more effective dive environments. Original blog: https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/reframing-the-dirty-dozen-part-2   Links: HALT Model: https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/stress-a-challenge-we-all-face Becoming a team: https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/practical-application-of-teamwork-in-diver-training Building Psychological Safety blog series: https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/team-building-psych-safety-1 UNITED-C: https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/Why%20are%20dive%20briefings%20important%3F%20How%20to%20deliver%20them%20effectively Part 1: https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/reframing-the-dirty-dozen-part-1 Part 3: https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/reframing-the-dirty-dozen-part-3 Part 4: https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/reframing-the-dirty-dozen-part-4   Tags:  English, Gareth Lock, Human Error, Human Factors, Jenny Lord, Teamwork

This week’s episode explores the interplay between human factors and system design in diving safety, using the “Dirty Dozen” as a framework to highlight key risks like poor communication, distraction, and lack of resources. While this list simplifies complex issues, it underscores how systemic challenges and individual behaviors intersect to create safety risks. The episode dives into practical countermeasures, emphasizing the need for teamwork, thorough preparation, and robust support systems to mitigate errors. By unpacking the context behind the Dirty Dozen, we aim to help divers and teams enhance safety, improve operations, and foster a culture of accountability and resilience. Original blog: https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/reframing-the-dirty-dozen-part-1   Links: LinkedIn Post from Gareth Lock: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/garethlock_mca-dirty-dozen-graphic-activity-7328740642400931840-tzS4/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios&rcm=ACoAAAELqPcBwf1_VKIPpplosn5XZ02d6xlOzRs HFiD Applied Skills classes: https://www.thehumandiver.com/hfid-training-2025 Our brains process words faster than we can transmit or receive them Checklists blog: https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/designing-checklists-that-work-slowing-down-to-get-it-right Normalisation of Deviance blog: https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/normalisation-of-deviance-not-about-rule-breaking Part 2: https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/reframing-the-dirty-dozen-part-2 Part 3: https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/reframing-the-dirty-dozen-part-3 Part 4: https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/reframing-the-dirty-dozen-part-4   Tags:  English, Communication, Gareth Lock, Human Error, Human Factors, Jenny Lord

This blog by Pedro Paulo Cunha explores the critical role of leadership in dive safety, highlighting how a toxic leader at a dive resort created a culture of fear, harassment, and stress that compromised both staff well-being and guest safety. Through the story of an experienced instructor facing verbal abuse and misconduct, the piece underscores the importance of psychological safety, just culture, and accountability in high-risk environments. It reveals how poor leadership eroded team confidence, increased errors, and damaged the operation’s reputation, offering valuable lessons for divers and managers alike. Leadership isn’t about rank but about fostering trust, communication, and resilience—qualities essential for safer and more effective dive operations. Original blog: https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/instructor-toxicity-why-one-bad-apple-spoils-the-bunch   Tags:  English, Just Culture, Leadership, Pedro Paulo Cunha, Psychological Safety, Teamwork

Andrzej Gornicki reflects on the challenges of teamwork and organisation in diving operations, sharing lessons from his experience running a dive centre. Through real-life stories, he highlights how logistical oversights and errors—like forgotten equipment or missing supplies—can be mitigated with clear protocols and checklists. However, simply having checklists isn’t enough; they need to be embraced by the team. By involving staff in creating their own task-specific checklists and placing them strategically, Andrzej fostered accountability and improved efficiency. This episode dives into the balance between organisation, teamwork, and experience, showing how small changes can make big differences in safety and performance. Original blog: https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/what-do-you-mean-the-damn-box-is-missing-again   Links: Introducing checklists in diving: https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/risk-management-in-diving Amazon link ‘The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right’   Tags:  English, Andrzej Górnicki, Checklists, Leadership, Teamwork

Psychological safety is more than a buzzword—it's a critical team skill in high-risk environments like diving. Often misunderstood, it's not about being nice or avoiding discomfort, but about fostering an environment where team members feel safe to speak up, question, and learn without fear of judgment. Through real-life examples, including a gas switch error during a dive, this episode explores the transformative power of psychological safety in improving communication, accountability, and team performance. Dive into how candid conversations, challenging feedback, and a culture of learning can make dive teams safer and stronger. Original blog: https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/what-we-get-wrong-about-psychological-safety-in-diving   Links: If Ony… documentary: https://www.thehumandiver.com/ifonly YouTube presentation on the Linnea Mills Blogs about PS from the Human Diver Outcomes are a function of technical skills, context, skill/luck, and non-technical skills Youtube video This article was written based on an HBR article by Professor Amy Edmondson & Michaela Kerrissey, "What People Get Wrong About Psychological Safety" (Harvard Business Review, May–June 2025)   Tags:  English, Gareth Lock, Leadership, Psychological Safety, Teamwork

Join us as we dive into a fascinating debrief from a Human Factors in Diving liveaboard trip, where a challenging dive sparked discussions on team communication, decision-making, and safety. A sandy slope, strong currents, and mixed team responses led to valuable insights during the post-dive debrief, transforming frustrations into learning moments. With psychological safety at the core, participants improved their teamwork, communication, and situational awareness. Original blog: https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/debriefing-a-challenging-dive-a-real-life-experience Links: Blog about the liveaboard: https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/the-first-human-factors-in-diving-liveaboard DEBrIEF model: https://www.thehumandiver.com/debrief Tags: English, Debrief, Jenny Lord

Mike Mason explores how effective decision-making in diving depends on both intuitive (System 1) and analytical (System 2) thinking, highlighting the crucial role of checklists in bridging the gap between these systems. Checklists serve as prompts to prevent errors caused by cognitive shortcuts, ensuring safety-critical steps are not missed. Effective checklists should be simple, logical, and standardised, encouraging team coordination through techniques like point-touch-verbalise and peer checks. However, their value depends on proper integration into workflows and a culture that sees them as tools for managing human variability, not mere box-ticking. When used correctly, checklists enhance safety, accountability, and decision-making in high-risk environments. Original blog: https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/designing-checklists-that-work-slowing-down-to-get-it-right   Tags:  English, Checklists, Decision Making, Decision-Making, Mike Mason

In this episode of The Human Diver, Mike Mason and I dive into the complexities of online storytelling, the double-edged nature of sharing experiences, and the power of constructive debriefing. We explore how narratives can both create learning opportunities and, at times, lead to misinterpretation, judgment, or defensive responses. You will discover how high-risk industries like aviation use culture, structured debriefs, and role-based feedback to focus on behaviours rather than individuals. We discuss the importance of capacity, mental models, and situational awareness, and how these principles can translate into diving and online education. Key Takeaways: -Focusing on behaviours and actions, not people, fosters learning and reduces defensiveness. -Online narratives can easily be derailed, so approach feedback with curiosity and humility. -Capacity and situational awareness are critical in high-pressure environments and translate directly into diving. -Constructive dialogue requires patience, perspective, and sometimes the use of tools like AI to frame responses effectively. -Multi-perspective storytelling encourages empathy and a just culture, reducing judgment and promoting better understanding.   HF in Diving Conference 2026 www.hf-in-diving-conference.com The blog by Betari Box https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/my-attitude-impacts-your-behaviour  

The phrase "loss of situation awareness" is often misused as a simplistic explanation for diving incidents, focusing on blame rather than understanding the context and contributing factors. Situation awareness involves perceiving the environment, comprehending its significance, and projecting future outcomes to make informed decisions. It can be compromised by factors like fixation, poor communication, or inadequate preparation. To improve situation awareness, divers should practice key skills on land, conduct thorough dive briefings, and engage in reflective debriefings to identify lessons learned. By moving beyond oversimplified explanations and fostering curiosity, divers can enhance safety and teamwork underwater. Original blog: https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/they-lost-situation-awareness   Links: UNITED-C model: https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/Why%20are%20dive%20briefings%20important%3F%20How%20to%20deliver%20them%20effectively Further reading: Situation Awareness and Mental Models Selective Attention Exists! 5 Tips to Increase Situational Awareness in Diving Unleashing Your Sixth Sense: Building capacity and directing attention Running out of gas- Why does this happen and how can we prevent it? How do I improve my Situation Awareness? You can't pay MORE attention: the myth of 'loss of situation awareness' Tags:  English, Decision Making, Hindsight Bias, Incident Analysis, John Strobridge, Situation Awareness, Situational Awareness

Psychological safety is essential for building trust and fostering open communication in diving teams, yet creating it can be a challenge in high-pressure environments like open-water certification weekends. Helene Pellerine explores how leaders, particularly instructors, play a crucial role in setting the tone for a safe and supportive atmosphere where divers feel seen, heard, and free to share concerns or mistakes. By modeling openness, responding non-judgmentally to questions, and encouraging reflection, instructors can instill these values in students, who can then carry them into future diving experiences. While psychological safety can be nurtured in small moments, it requires ongoing effort to sustain and must be prioritized for safe and enjoyable dives. Original blog: https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/the-challenge-of-psychological-safety   Links: Building a Team (Stages 1-4) - Part 1 of 4 Building a Short-Term Team HF in Diving for Dummies: Psychological Safety Tags:  English, Helene Pellerin, Leadership, Psychological Safety