It’s encouraging to see such a frank discussion. The comment “to err is human” peaked my attention however. To err is not human and Tony Kern explains why this is so in his book “The Blue Threat” (2009). We are all aware that human factors play a role in aviation accidents. That fact alone should empower every individual to do all they can to overcome our human vulnerabilities. Not to do so is downright irresponsible.
Kern explains that red threats are external to the individual and are considered at an organisational and operational level. Blue threats are the threats that come from ourselves and our team. Individuals should have the curiosity to want to “know what you don’t know”. We need to develop a conscious effort to minimise / eliminate human error patterns. That’s how to overcome the blue threats; complacency, normalisation of deviance etc. That is the foundation from which to build upon with other safety layers of regulatory and company procedures. It’s been a while since I read the book. I can’t hope to do it’s complex analysis justice in just a few sentences. However I hope someone out there will pick it up, along with anything else written by Kern. Consider it, along with any other material you can get your hands on.