Episode 38 – Zagreb Midair
This episode was recorded in the Safety Science Innovation Lab, and comes filled with thoughts about how we tell stories about safety. Do we even have theories of safety, or just meta-narratives –...
View ArticleEpisode 39 – Boston Molasses Flood
DisasterCast has covered some pretty weird topics. We’ve dealt with pilot defenestration, spontaneous human combustion, and exploding death stars. I don’t think we’ve ever described an accident quite...
View ArticleEpisode 40 – Shootdown
Sean Ellis visits DisasterCast this episode to provide a detailed discussion of TWA 800 and the associated conspiracy theories about US armed forces being responsible for the accident. We also discuss...
View ArticleEpisode 41 – West Gate Bridge
One of the weird things about safety is that we spend so much effort on safety analysis during design, despite the fact that almost all accidents happen after design is completed. One explanation is...
View ArticleEpisode 42 – Lightning Strikes
This episode covers an Iranian military transported downed by lightning, the Milford Haven Texaco Refinery explosion, and the dangers of blasphemy on a golf course. Lightning alone is seldom enough to...
View ArticleEpisode 43 – Explosive Mixtures
In this episode I discuss some of the people who’ve helped shape my own thinking on safety research. The second part of the episode is all about mixing things together to create explosions. There is a...
View ArticleEpisode 44 – Hinsdale Fire
This episode is about single points of failure, common cause failures, and the Hinsdale Central Office Fire. The post Episode 44 – Hinsdale Fire appeared first on DisasterCast Safety Podcast.
View ArticleEpisode 45 – Mann Gulch
Episode 45 of DisasterCast tries something a little different. This episode has three different stories of exactly the same accident – the deaths of 13 firefighters in the Rocky Mountains. The post...
View ArticleEpisode 46 – Term Around Again
This episode returns to the language of safety. As an illustration the 2013 incident involving a lithium-ion battery fire on a Boeing 787-8 is discussed. The post Episode 46 – Term Around Again...
View ArticleEpisode 47 – Apollo 1
After a brief hiatus, DisasterCast returns with Episode 47. In this episode we ask what it means for something to cause something else, and explain why the answer is not as simple as it sounds. We then...
View ArticleEpisode 48 – Metro North Railroad
The NTSB has released a report examining common organisational factors in five accidents on Metro North Railroad in and around New York. Do five accidents in a short space of time indicate an unusual...
View ArticleEpisode 49 – Aberfan
This is an episode about large piles falling over. We start with the physics of sandcastles, and move quickly to the coal tip at Aberfan. This leads further to discussing hindsight explanations for...
View ArticleGrowing into Uncertainty
This is the first episode of “Two Cents Worth of Safety”, which will interleave with the regular DisasterCast episodes. In this installment Ron explains how looking backward we see a whole lot more...
View ArticleBlindspots of Behavioral Observations
This is the second “Two Cents Worth of Safety” by Ron Gantt. Regular DisasterCast has been slightly delayed, and will be back next week. In this episode Ron describes Behavioural Observation programs,...
View ArticleEpisode 50 – Why?
This episode takes a new look at the really big safety question – “Why do accidents happen?” We discuss how different answers to this question lead to different approaches to safety, where common...
View ArticleStop Telling People Safety is Everyone’s Responsibility
This is the third episode of Ron Gantt’s “Two Cents Worth of Safety”. Ron discusses the use of safety slogans, in particular the hidden messages behind the overused “Safety is Everyone’s...
View ArticleEpisode 51 – USS Iowa
This episode describes the USS Iowa explosion, the subsequent investigation, and the dangers of hindsight analysis. The post Episode 51 – USS Iowa appeared first on DisasterCast Safety Podcast.
View ArticleBeyond Unsafe Behaviors
Ron returns to ask the question “Which causes more accidents: unsafe conditions, or unsafe behaviors?” Once he’s finished unpacking the question, you still won’t have an answer, but hopefully you’ll...
View ArticleEpisode 52 – Columbia and Cable Cars
This episode dives into the background of the Columbia Space Shuttle Disaster. It also discusses the aftermath of a US Marine Prowler hitting a cable in the Italian Alps. The post Episode 52 – Columbia...
View ArticleEpisode 53 – Interlocks and Quintinshill
This episode discusses interlocks in general, and also the application of interlocks to train safety. Britain’s worst rail disaster, Quintinshill, is used to illustrate a common pattern in blaming lack...
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