# SH269: What Is the Purpose of an Investigation in Diving?

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Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/counter-errorism-in-diving-applying-human-factors-to-diving-6626048/sh269-what-is-the-purpose-of-an-investigation-in-diving.md
Podcast: [Counter-Errorism in Diving: Applying Human Factors to Diving](https://stenobird.com/podcast/counter-errorism-in-diving-applying-human-factors-to-diving-6626048)
Published: 2026-04-11T08:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://www.thehumandiver.com/
Audio file: https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/9cd557d5-d396-40e6-8b0d-da9b1f963636.mp3
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Duration seconds: 664

## Resource

This episode looks at how diving accidents are often explained in simple ways that blame individuals, instead of exploring the deeper systems and pressures that shape what really happens. It explains that investigations are not just about facts, but about meaning, comfort, and fear after someone has died, which often leads to stories that focus on “human error” instead of learning. Using real examples, it shows how simple explanations may feel reassuring, but they don’t make diving safer. Real prevention comes from understanding how people, training, culture, pressure, equipment, and organisations interact in complex ways. The key message is that safety doesn’t come from finding someone to blame — it comes from changing the conditions that shape decisions and behaviour, so future dives are genuinely safer, not just easier to explain. Original blog: https://www.thehumandiver.com/post/what-is-the-purpose-of-an-investigation Links: Dekker’s four competing purposes: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/1463922X.2014.955554 Fatal maritime collision investigation: https://www.gov.uk/maib-reports/collision-between-ro-ro-passenger-vessel-scottish-viking-and-prawn-trawler-homeland-off-st-abb-s-head-scotland-with-loss-of-1-life Non-fatal maritime collision investigation: https://dmaib.com/reports/2014/kraslava-and-atlantic-lady-collision-on-1-november-2014 Blog about Linnea Mills: https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/linnea-mills-death-hf-systems-lens If Only… documentary: https://www.thehumandiver.com/ifonly Learning from Emergent Outcomes course: https://www.thehumandiver.com/lfeo References: Dekker: The psychology of accident investigation: epistemological, preventive, moral and existential meaning-making . 2015. Another link. https://research-repository.griffith.edu.au/…

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