Events Calendar

Reducing Risk While Improving Productivity in Complex Industries

The Honorable Chris Hart, the Vice Chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), will be the distinguished guest speaker at Najmedin Meshkati's class in Human Factors in Work Design (ISE 370L)

"Many industries whose operations can potentially cause harm or damage if something goes wrong involve systems that consist of a complex array of subsystems that must work together effectively in order for the entire system to perform successfully. To the extent the subsystems are coupled, changes in any one subsystem can affect some or all of the other subsystems. “System Think” refers to an awareness of the impacts throughout a system of changes in any of its subsystems."

"The commercial aviation industry, in its continuing endeavor to improve safety, is using a collaborative approach to accomplish System Think – bringing all of the key parts of the industry to the table together to work in a collaborative manner to identify and address potential safety concerns. The collaborative approach resulted in a 65% reduction in the fatal accident rate in only 10 years. It also demonstrated that, contrary to conventional wisdom that safety improvements usually hurt productivity, safety improvements that result from a collaborative approach can simultaneously improve productivity."

"The purpose of this presentation is to demonstrate the collaborative approach to other potentially hazardous industries, to help those industries determine whether a collaborative approach can help them manage their safety risks more efficiently and effectively."

Hart may be accompanied by other HRO-community friends including Dr. David van Stralen, head of pediatric emergency services at Loma Linda hospital; Admiral (ret.) Tom Mercer, former CO of the nuclear powered aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson and former Superintendent of the Naval Post Graduate School; and a senior fire chief/official from the city of San Bernardino. Dr. Glenn Takata who is a pediatrician and responsible for patient safety at the Children's Hospital LA, and Mr. Tom Anthony, director of USC Aviation Safety and Security Program also may attend.

Location: Thomas & Dorothy Leavey Library (LVL) - main auditorium

Audiences: Everyone Is Invited

Contact: Najm Meshkati