# SH305: Cause Reason. Excuse. Three Words Doing Three Very Different Things.

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/counter-errorism-in-diving-applying-human-factors-to-diving-6626048/sh305-cause-reason-excuse-three-words-doing-three-very-different-things
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/counter-errorism-in-diving-applying-human-factors-to-diving-6626048/sh305-cause-reason-excuse-three-words-doing-three-very-different-things.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: 2026-08-26T08:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://www.thehumandiver.com/
Audio file: https://episodes.captivate.fm/episode/7b49361e-6ac3-4418-af72-81091e9353eb.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/counter-errorism-in-diving-applying-human-factors-to-diving-6626048/episodes/sh305-cause-reason-excuse-three-words-doing-three-very-different-things
Duration seconds: 572

## Resource

This episode explores an important distinction that is often missed when discussing diving incidents: the difference between a cause, a reason, and an excuse. A cause explains what contributed to an event, a reason explains why a person's actions made sense to them at the time, and an excuse uses those reasons to avoid accountability. Understanding these differences helps us learn from accidents without simply assigning blame or letting people off the hook. The discussion shows why complex incidents usually have many interacting causes, why understanding local decision-making is essential for improving safety, and how separating learning from punishment leads to better conversations, stronger investigations, and safer diving for everyone. Original blog: https://www.thehumandiver.com/post/cause-reason-excuse Links: Accountability blog: https://www.thehumandiver.com/post/we-want-accountability RaDonda Vaught case: https://www.thehumandiver.com/post/the-structure-is-normal-the-scale-is-not Stop rules blog: https://www.thehumandiver.com/post/why-investigations-stop-where-they-stop Richard Cook’s diagram: https://www.thehumandiver.com/post/joining-dots-is-easy-if-you-know-the-outcome More about the RaDonda Vaught case: https://humanfactors101.com/2022/05/08/is-human-error-a-crime/ The eight question review: https://www.thehumandiver.com/post/eight-questions-about-maldives-accident “Learning” the same lessons: https://www.thehumandiver.com/post/why-does-nothing-change Tags: THD-English | THD-Learning, Incidents & Just Culture

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