Controlling Risk: Thirty Techniques for Operating Excellence

Controlling Risk―In A Dangerous World

How do operators prevent the next accident that is inevitably trying to kill them? How do they improve performance? Can they do both simultaneously?

On the front lines of danger, operators face hazards and make life-and-death decisions in dynamic, complex situations. They are the last line of defense trying to prevent death and destruction.

What happens if they don’t succeed? After accidents, organizations typically issue new rules. These will work―for a while―in preventing similar accidents. But accidents are rarely simple. Hardware does not “just break.” A company may be blindsided by another accident that no one thought would occur. Investigators determine the latest catastrophe was tragically similar to a forgotten previous accident. Again, new rules are issued and procedures are updated―yet the cycle of accidents continues. Organizations, and operators, must need something more than rules and procedures.

Since the beginning of the space program, astronauts have been developing techniques to help flight crews stay alive and accomplish dangerous missions in the unforgiving environment of space. Astronauts―and operators in every hazardous profession―have learned how to achieve better performance and accomplish more missions with higher quality.

In Controlling Risk, you will learn how to operate better, work together, improve performance in your high-risk business, and accomplish much more in your dangerous world!

Jim Wetherbee is the only astronaut to have commanded five Space Shuttle missions. After graduating from the University of Notre Dame with a bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, he began his life-long journey of controlling risk as a naval aviator, while flying in single-seat cockpits from aircraft carriers on the high seas. Wetherbee’s leadership roles as a military test pilot, astronaut, and safety executive in the oil and gas industry―from the front lines to the executive level – have given him valuable experiences and insights into dangerous businesses.