Human Performance and Latent Causes

Most organizations treat near misses as non-events — a close call, a sigh of relief, and then back to business. But what if that near miss was actually a gift?

In this episode, we explore why near misses are some of the most valuable learning opportunities available in any high-risk or complex operation. When something almost goes wrong, the system has already revealed a weakness. The only question is whether we are willing to receive the warning and act on it.

Drawing from Latent Cause Analysis principles, we examine:

Latent Cause Analysis. This is the Failsafe edge: We don’t just give you better tools. We help you become better learners, leaders, and teammates.

Human and Organizational Performance (HOP) has earned well-deserved attention in recent years. It correctly shifts focus from blaming people to improving the systems in which they work. These are meaningful advances. Yet many organizations that have adopted HOP principles are still experiencing the same types of incidents. The reason is usually that something important is still missing.

At Failsafe Network, we’ve been in the trenches for over four decades, helping organizations learn from the things that go wrong. What we’ve seen over all those years is that most traditional RCA training doesn’t fall short because people aren’t trying hard enough—it fails because the approach itself has some pretty fundamental flaws. Let's walk through why that happens and how our Latent Cause Analysis™, or LCA, brings something genuinely different to the table.

Case study of catastrophic hydrotreater explosion.

In this episode of Human Performance and Latent Causes, Robert E. Statham, President of Failsafe Network, takes a deep dive into a real crushing injury and partial finger amputation that occurred during a routine jam clearance on a high-speed wrapper conveyor in a food packaging plant.

Latent Cause Analysis (LCA) is an evidence-based method for investigating incidents that goes beyond fixing immediate problems to uncover deeper systemic, human, and cultural causes. LCA strengthens leadership at all levels and transforms organizational culture toward continuous improvement, better decisions, and fewer repeated failures.

Traditional Root Cause Analysis (RCA) often falls short because it stops at surface-level issues—like equipment failure or individual error—and tends to become a blame-focused, checkbox exercise. As a result, organizations see the same problems repeat.

Latent Cause Analysis (LCA) is a more powerful alternative because it examines the underlying systems and human factors that create the conditions for failure.

The role people play in things that go wrong and the more important role people play in learning, improving, and growing in day to day business.

The problem with blame and how to effectively deal with it in the midst of an investigation .

Failsafe 40+ years of experience using Root Cause Analysis and developing the more effective Latent Cause Analysis.

Discover the future of root cause analysis. Rob Statham shares the past, present, and future of root cause analysis (even with AI's influence). Latent Cause Analysis is not just another form of RCA; it's the next generation.

Failure is often painted as a dead end. But it’s really a fork in the road. When you treat failure as a learning opportunity, you unlock potential. This mindset shift changes everything.

This episode explores how embracing failure can drive personal and organizational growth. Failure isn’t an endpoint—it’s a new beginning that offers opportunities for learning and improvement. Rather than fearing setbacks, adopting a mindset that sees failure as a necessary teacher is key.

Blame for errors is unhelpful. Focusing on understanding instead of blame helps organizations create a learning culture. This motivates employees to share experiences and insights, which leads to improved safety practices and better operations.

Learn how to manage human error. Human error is unavoidable. We understand that everyone, no matter their skills or experience, makes mistakes. What matters most is accepting human fallibility instead of chasing perfection and having an effective process to learn from errors.

Review the 5 Principles of Human Performance (HOP) for organizational learning and improvement. Discover the most effective process ever developed to implement HOP principles within an organization while enhancing communication and productivity.

Rob Statham discusses with author Laurin Mooney her new book 'High Reliability in Action.' The conversation explores her motivation for creating a practical guide to High Reliability. They examine the challenges caused by increasing complexity. People regularly face unexpected and unclear events, but we often concentrate on tasks we already know to achieve our goals. Yet, much occurs outside of our plans, and to succeed, we need to learn how to adapt and navigate effectively. That is the purpose of 'High Reliability in Action.'

Nuclear Regulatory Commission inspector, trainer, and author Dick Swanson shares his biggest takeaways from an illustrious career learning from things that go wrong and preventing future events.

You are tasked with gathering evidence from people about a significant event that happened at work. Where do you start? How do you begin? What to do and what NOT TO DO. Rob Statham shares a simple, effective approach to interviewing people.

Your phone rings, and your manager asks you to lead an investigation into a major event that just happened at work. Your adrenaline kicks in, and your mind starts racing. Where do you begin? Rob Statham explains how to respond to that call in a way that sets you up for success.

Bob Nelms reflects on his career, learning from the things that go wrong, during his CHOLearning Hall of Fame induction.

Rob Statham shares a field experience that demonstrates Latency in action.

Latency is a very small part of an organization's culture that contributes to things going wrong. Culture influences people and is usually beneficial. Unfortunately, the 'bad' aspects of culture also influence people and are difficult to effectively identify and address.

Rob and Lesa discuss their highlights from CHOLearning's 31st Annual Learning Conference.

Three Barriers to Organizational Learning: People, People, and People. We are naturally wired with tendencies that usually help, but sometimes contribute to our problems. We are, for the most part, great problem solvers, but when we use blame as a tool to solve issues, we contribute to the small part of our culture (Latency) that causes problems. The goal is to help organizations continuously improve by addressing latency, developing a culture that does not tolerate blame, embraces understanding, and takes ownership of our roles in the challenges we face.

Learn how to identify and understand the causes of an event in a way EVERYONE learns from it. Rob Statham discusses the level of understanding required to effect lasting change, i.e. lasting improvement.

Join Rob Statham as he continues to discuss the significant barriers that organizations must overcome to become learning organizations. Without a synchronized approach to eliminate or address these barriers to learning, individuals will feel overwhelmed and ineffective. A coordinated effort by a critical mass within an organization is essential for collective learning and improvement. To achieve this, an established process is necessary.

Join Rob Statham as he discusses the significant barriers that organizations must overcome to become learning organizations. Without a synchronized approach to eliminate or address these barriers to learning, individuals will feel overwhelmed and ineffective. A coordinated effort by a critical mass within an organization is essential for collective learning and improvement. To achieve this, an established process is necessary.

Join Rob Statham as he shares from C. Robert Nelms's book What You Can Learn From Things That Go Wrong.

Join Rob Statham as he shares from C. Robert Nelms's book What You Can Learn From Things That Go Wrong.

Join Rob Statham as he shares from C. Robert Nelms's book What You Can Learn From Things That Go Wrong.

Do people learn from failure? While conventional wisdom suggests they should, we find that learning from failure is very challenging. Join us as we discuss the barriers that prevent people from learning from failure.

Join us for a discussion about SIFs, significant injuries, and fatalities. What matters in incidents, or what should we focus on? How can we improve in preventing, predicting, and investigating events?

Bringing about change in a culture is a challenging task. Join us as we explore what it takes to enhance culture. Recognize the barriers and challenges you will encounter and find encouragement throughout the process.

Rob Statham talks with Pete Fox, an LCA super user and retired Chief Inspector. Listen in as they share some great experiences and some struggles using Latent Cause Analysis.

Join Rob Statham for part 3 of an interview with Bob Nelms, the founder of Failsafe, as they discuss the 40th anniversary of the Failsafe Network. They highlight the key moments from four decades of business dedicated to helping people learn from mistakes.

Rob Statham interviews Failsafe's founder Bob Nelms and discusses the 40th anniversary of Failsafe Network. They discuss the highlights from 40 years of business helping people learn from things that go wrong.

Rob Statham interviews Failsafe's founder Bob Nelms and discusses the 40th anniversary of Failsafe Network. They discuss the highlights from 40 years of business helping people learn from things that go wrong.

Join Rob Statham as he discusses the blame virus, how it lives within an organization, and the antidote to it. Great examples lead to great learning.