Are We Learning from Accidents?: A quandary, a question and a way forward

Book review‘This brilliant book combines deeply personal insights and scholarly work, brought to bear on the important case of the Costa Concordia ship disaster. It's full of riveting stories about shipping, punctuated by cool-headed analyses of mistakes and learning in general. Nippin’s labour of love will make everyone who reads the work a better, more interesting person.’Lee Clarke, Emeritus Professor of Sociology, Rutgers UniversityAuthor of Mission Improbable‘Are we learning from accidents, and if so, how? I can’t think of a better person than Dr Nippin Anand to guide us through these essential questions.His work on safety and risk perception in the maritime domain, based on years of contemplation and first-hand insights into the Costa Concordia disaster, will serve to enlighten us all.’Thomas Davidsen, Head of the Danish Maritime Accident Investigation BoardAbout the bookAre we learning from accidents? Dr Nippin Anand's research into the Costa Concordia disaster and his interviews with Captain Schettino suggest not.The answer to the problem of learning lies not so much in designing fail-safe technologies and user-friendly systems as in questioning our fears, myths, beliefs, rituals, worldviews and imagination about risk and safety.When we recognise the mythical and non-rational nature of risk and safety beliefs, our focus will shift from counting and controlling hazards towards pathways that make us humble, curious, doubtful and conscious about the human ‘being’. When we begin to accept that humans are fallible, we search for better ways to humanise the risks and relate to people.Through a lived journey of dissonance, disturbance, learning and change, this book offers an alternative pathway to wisdom in risk intelligence, and a method to tackle risks in an uncertain world.About the authorDr Nippin Anand specialises in the relevance of culture, belief, myth, and metaphors (language) in the areas of risk, safety and organisational learning.Nippin is a licensed master mariner. He holds a PhD in social sciences and anthropology, a master’s degree in economics and social psychology. Nippin studies mythology, religion, anthropology, spirituality, neurosciences, depth psychology, linguistics, and semiotics (study of signs and symbols) to broaden his understanding of human ‘being’. Read more