PreAccident Investigation Podcast

Todd Conklin
  • 4.9 (171)
  • GOVERNMENT
  • UPDATED SEMIWEEKLY

The Pre Accident Podcast is an ongoing safety podcast conversation of Human Performance, Systems Safety, & Safety Culture.

  1. 3D AGO

    PAPod 577 - Near Misses: The Unexpected Gift That Keeps Workers Safe

    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.

    23 min

  2. DEC 13

    PAPod 576 - From Continuous Improvement to Continuous Capacity: 10 Operational Indicators You Need

    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, quality of learning, psychological safety, and supervisor load). Host Todd Conklin explains how these measurable and observable indicators link engineering controls with human and organizational factors, and why monitoring them regularly helps leaders improve resilience and manage high‑risk operations more effectively.

    28 min

  3. DEC 6

    PAPod 575 - Vancouver Workshop: A Case Study in Failure, Justice, and Resilience

    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 attend, this workshop will be amazingly good for the soul! For tickets and details visit hopconference.com.

    27 min

  4. NOV 29

    PAPod 574 - Margin for Safety: Lessons from 50 Years in the Cockpit

    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 naval operations and long-term flying experience.

    38 min

  5. NOV 22

    PAPod 573 - The Stability Trap: Why Safe Organizations Still Fail

    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 reframes: treat safety as a capacity, see workers as system monitors, and retool systems to match capacity with risk. The book is available now.

    31 min

  6. NOV 15

    PAPod 572 - The Stability Trap: Why Safety Success Can Lead to Failure

    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 investigation), and a five-stage practical blueprint for leaders, safety professionals, frontline workers, supervisors, and system integration. Short and practical, the episode is a teaser for the book and invites listeners to reflect on whether their organizations maintain the resilience, confidence, and systems needed to recover when things go wrong.

    29 min

  7. NOV 8

    PAPod 571 - Fail Fast, Learn Faster: A Conversation on Human Performance and Recovery

    In this episode Todd Conklin joins Jowanza Joseph to explore modern safety thinking: why human error is normal, how context shapes behavior, and why leadership response and system recoverability matter more than blame. They draw on examples from Los Alamos, AWS outages, SpaceX and everyday technology to show how organizations can design systems that tolerate failure and learn from it. Listeners will get practical insights into the five principles of human performance and how to build resilient systems that fail safely and recover quickly.

    30 min

  8. NOV 1

    PAPod 570 - Safety Differently Down Under: Todd Conklin in Auckland

    Todd Conklin joins the Brisbane Safety Differently Book Lab in Auckland for a lively discussion about leadership, accountability, and learning from everyday work. The group explores why safety is the presence of control, how leaders should respond after incidents, and why learning is the new currency of safety. Todd shares stories about writing his books, engaging with workers, and practical steps leaders can take to build confidence and capacity while fostering a learning culture.

    39 min
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4.9
out of 5
171 Ratings

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The Pre Accident Podcast is an ongoing safety podcast conversation of Human Performance, Systems Safety, & Safety Culture.

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