TO BELIEVE OR NOT TO BELIEVE OR BETTER NOT TO KNOW

1
TO BELIEVE OR NOT TO BELIEVEORBETTER NOT TO
KNOW?

• Jonathan Amies CFSIA RSP(AUST)
• PRISM CONFERENCE
• ATHENS SEPTEMBER 2003

2
RECENT EVENTS

• DID THE REPORT ON THE COLUMBIA SPACE SHUTTLE
  DISASTER SURPRISE YOU?
• HOW MANY SEVERE ACCIDENT REPORTS HAVE YOU READ
  WITH SIMILAR SAFETY MANAGEMENT PROBLEMS ?

3
CONFIDENCE DELEGATION

• DOES SHOOT THE MESSENGER CULTURE EXIST ?
• DOES BLOCK THE BAD NEWS CULTURE PREVAIL ?
• WILL IT AFFECT MY PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL
• WE CANNOT AFFORD THEREFORE WE DO NOT WANT TO
  KNOW

4
CONFIDENCE DELEGATION

• INTO AND FOR AS LONG AS POSSIBLE INTO THE TOO
  HARD BASKET.
• HOW COME THIS CAN HAPPEN? WE HAVE A SAFETY
  DEPARTMENT, DONT WE ?

5
AROUND 1990

• THE HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE WAS LAUNCHED THE MAIN
  LENS HAD BIG PROBLEMS EVEN BEFORE THE LAUNCH..
• SO WHY DID THE LAUNCH EVEN TAKE PLACE ?

6
RETROSPECTIVE THOUGHT

• IN PROFESSOR ROBERT ALLISONS BOOK GLOBAL
  DISASTERS HE INFERS
• THAT ALMOST EVERYONE IN THE MANAGEMENT CHAIN KNEW
  THE PROBLEM EXCEPT THE CORPORATE PRESIDENT THE
  PRESIDENT, BUT THE DATE HAD BEEN ANNOUNCED!

7
CONFIDENCE DELEGATION

• DOES SHOOT THE MESSENGER CULTURE EXIST ?
• DOES BLOCK THE BAD NEWS CULTURE PREVAIL ?
• WILL IT AFFECT MY PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL
• WE CANNOT AFFORD THEREFORE WE DO NOT WANT TO
  KNOW

8
CONFIDENCE DELEGATION

• INTO AND FOR AS LONG AS POSSIBLE INTO THE TOO
  HARD BASKET.
• HOW COME THIS CAN HAPPEN? WE HAVE A SAFETY
  DEPARTMENT, DONT WE ?

9
KOREA SUBWAY DISASTER

• THIS WAS STARTED BY THE IGNITION OF A FEW LITRES
  OF SOLVENT IGNITING INSIDE A CARRIAGE POSSIBLY A
  CHEMICAL AS INNOCENT AS PAINT THINNER
• HOW COULD IT GET THAT BAD THAT FAST?