An examination of major safety failures in disparate domains shows a number of parallels that highlight the challenges of providing for the safe operation of complex systems. Case studies from commercial aircraft crashes, passenger ship sinkings and submarine losses will be reviewed and compared to disasters in the offshore oil and gas industry, including Deepwater Horizon, Alexander Kielland and Piper Alpha. The difficulties of learning from such experiences will be addressed, along with a discussion of the tendency for such lessons to erode over time. The lecture will conclude with a commentary on techniques currently being employed to enhance safety and reliability, including safety management systems and safety culture development.

Donald C. Winter is Professor of Engineering Practice at the University of Michigan, USA. He served as the 74th Secretary of the US Navy from January 2006 to March 2009. Previously, Dr Winter held multiple positions in the aerospace and defence industry as a systems engineer, program manager and corporate executive. Dr Winter received a doctorate in physics from the University of Michigan in 1972. He was elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering in 2002, and was the chair of the NAE committee that investigated the Deepwater Horizon incident for the US Secretary of the Interior.

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