SH216: Diving Deep into Diving Safety: The death of Linnea Mills through a lens of HF and System Safety

Diving is often seen as a safe and relaxing sport, but true safety goes beyond avoiding accidents—it requires building resilience and learning from mistakes. In this episode, we explore how incidents often stem from systemic pressures and "practical drift," not just individual errors. Through real-world examples from diving and other high-risk industries, we highlight the importance of open debriefs, a just culture, and robust training to prepare divers for real-world challenges. By embracing transparency and focusing on system-level improvements, we can create a safer, more adaptive diving community that prioritizes learning and continuous improvement.

Original blog: https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/linnea-mills-death-hf-systems-lens

Links: “Bad Apples”: https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/from_blaming_to_learning

Just a Routine Operation video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzlvgtPIof4

Court submission for Linnea Mills death: https://www.scribd.com/document/555406095/Mills-v-Gull-Dive-Center-PADI-2nd-Amended-Complaint

History as a cause: https://www.montana.edu/rmaher/engr125/CAIB-History%20as%20a%20cause.pdf

Restorative Just Culture checklist: https://safetydifferently.com/restorative-just-culture-checklist/

Laura Walton’s Fit to Dive: https://www.fittodive.org/

Diving incidents often remain hidden: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRXqeQvRFK0

Sidney Dekker’s tunnel: https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/its-obvious-why-it-happened

Research about sharing stories in diving: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRXqeQvRFK0

Blogs on THD about psychological safety: https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog?tag=psychological+safety

Blogs on THD about why context matters: https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/search?q=context+matters

Asking questions about local rationality: https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/learning-reviews-in-diving

Tags:  English, Gareth Lock, Healthcare, Incident Analysis, Just Culture, Normalisation of Deviance, Psychological Safety