PreAccident Investigation Podcast

Todd Conklin explores why its so difficult to measure events that never happen and how traditional safety metrics can mislead organizations. He argues for focusing on metrics that validate safeguards and create desired outcomes rather than only counting accidents.The episode also touches on automation risks, the limits of frequency-based measures, and the need for better leading indicators and...

Todd Conklin opens 2026 reflecting on why how we begin interactions and jobs matters more than we often realize. He uses stories from travel, aviation, and workplace examples to show that the start of an encounter often predicts its outcome.Conklin urges listeners to choose kindness, psychological safety, and deliberate planning—start the job when the right controls are in place—rather than...

10. New Year’s Eve recap reflecting on a busy 2016 and the journey ahead into 2017.9. Host shares personal travel highlights and experiments in gratitude and generosity.8. Announces a 2017 focus on seeking and affirming the fundamental goodness in people.7. Reviews safety’s evolution: from compliance (Safety One) to safety-by-design (process safety).6. Explains the current phase emphasizing human...

This special Thanksgiving 2021 episode shares one simple piece of advice: be grateful. It highlights the power of gratitude during hard times and encourages you to pause and appreciate what you have.When the world feels difficult, instead of meeting pain with pain, reflect on the people, support, and good things in your life. Gratitude helps you move forward with strength and perspective.Learn...

In this episode Todd Conklin uses the season of gift-giving to explain near-miss reporting: why it matters, how it shows whether controls worked or luck saved the day, and how organizations should respond with gratitude and learning—not punishment.

This episode shifts the safety conversation from continuous improvement to continuous capacity, introducing a practical dashboard of 10 operational indicators—five system capacities (exposure to unforgiving energy, robustness of safeguards, error tolerance/recoverability, detectability of variance, and recovery capacity) and five human capacities (sensitivity to variation, frontline insight,...

Todd Conklin talks with Brent Sutton and Jeff Lyth about the upcoming HOP Workshop in Vancouver (Jan 28–29, 2026), centered on Redonda’s powerful firsthand story of patient safety, complex systems, restorative justice and resilience — lessons that translate across industries.Day one features Redonda’s narrative and panel discussion; day two focuses on hands‑on learning and innovation. Please...

This episode explores human performance and aviation safety, contrasting airline procedures with general aviation risks. Guests discuss building safety margins, the importance of planning vs. acting, and how economic pressures can erode resilience.Highlights include treating near-misses as learning opportunities, practical tips for pilots to increase recoverability, and real-world examples from...

Jay Allen interviews Todd Conklin about his new book, The Stability Trap, exploring why even safe, stable organizations can fail. They discuss the "drive to zero," complacency, pressures on middle management, wearables and data, and lessons from aviation and the pandemic.The episode also covers how AI was used to reorganize the book’s ideas and help craft its ending, and offers practical...

Host Todd introduces his new book, The Stability Trap, and shares a sneak peek episode created with an AI-generated interview. The episode explores why organizations that appear safe can still experience accidents and how success itself can erode safety capacity.The discussion outlines the core ideas: safety as the presence of capacity, the three R's (redefine safety, reframe the worker, relearn...