Hi Burr,
enjoyed your last post immensely. Wish I had access to it before I took on a safety manager role!
Obfuscation by the use of overly technical language isn't helpful. Sadly I'm very guilty of this (academic background as well as operational) so your mail is a timely reminder to watch it. But I have started to use safety concepts and philosophies that are anatheama - partly to shock (not terribly helpful) but partly because I think the organisation has reached the point in its "safety" development where it needs to consider new philosophies of safety that will lead the way to a safer future.
To do this, I believe, that we need to think of "safety" differently, and as you say provide the "gashshag" controller, engineer and pilot with the wherewithal and environment or context to make it happen. Very interested by what you have achieved: I suspect it is what we aspire too, but it is further away than some of us would like.
Your quote from EH on measuring safety is very apt. Lost the battle though on that one, still waiting to win in the end!
At times the lack of inertia really frustrates me, particularly when I hear the language of "old view" safety. In the last week I have heard it a lot. Indeed challenged a very senior manager today over the use of the phrase "an own goal". Safety climate is brittle and can be swayed easily by acts with unintended consequences. Where ETTO scores I think is that most of the operational community can see it, feel it and they do it every time that they sit and perform the task. It is not the same for senior managers it is argued, but they are just as subject to "ETTO" as the operational community.
Hope your glass was cool crispy and delectable
MB