Oops! Why Things Go Wrong: Understanding and Controlling Error

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Society’s development has accelerated at warp speed over recent decades and shows no signs of slowing down. Unfortunately, our brains have had trouble keeping up and are trying to function in a highly complex, rapidly changing environment whilst still running on caveman software! If you want to find a literary or illustration agent or publisher, would like to self-publish or crowdfund your creative idea then this Yearbook will help you. As well as sections on publishers and agents, newspapers and magazines, illustration and photography, theatre and screen, there is a wealth of detail on the legal and financial aspects of being a writer or illustrator.

A straight-forward apology, recognising that you’ve made a mistake, goes a long way to patching things up. Take responsibility for your own actions and don’t blame others. Most people are very forgiving – after all, everyone makes mistakes. Put things right Oops! Why Things Go Wrong: Understanding and Controlling Error pdf Oops! Why Things Go Wrong: Understanding and Controlling Error Again, the statistics are clear: total deaths globally in commercial jet aviation in 1977 numbered about 3,000 people while figures now are less than 1,000 annually despite an almost 10-fold increase in passenger numbers. Indeed, in 2017 the number of deaths globally was zero! This is due largely to our focus on human factors since the late 1970s.

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In this blog, Niall Downey talks about his book, Oops! Why Things Go Wrong, which explores why error is inevitable, how it affects many different industries and areas of society, sometimes catastrophically, how it is sometimes actually quite efficient from a physiological standpoint and, most importantly, what we can do about it. This dichotomy is the essence of what I explore in my book, Oops! Why Things Go Wrong. The mismatch between the fast-paced environment and our inability to respond appropriately results in errors inevitably occurring. This is merely an inconvenience in many areas, but in safety critical industries such as aviation and healthcare it can literally mean life or death.

I’ve made mistakes, every doctor will make mistakes, but how can we limit them? Niall Downey’s unique perspective as both pilot and doctor has enabled him to apply the lessons learned by the airline industry to modern medicine. This book should be mandatory reading for everyone with an interest in healthcare, i.e. everyone.’– Dr Liam Farrell, author of Are You the F**king Doctor? Again, the statistics are clear: total deaths globally in commercial jet aviation in 1977 numbered around 3.000 people while currently figures are less than 1,000 annually despite an almost 10-fold increase in passenger numbers. Indeed. in 2017 the number of deaths globally was zero! This is due largely to our focus on Human Factors since the late 70s. Niall has spent his entire career studying human error, initially as a surgeon in training and in the last number of years as an airline captain. It is critical that such knowledge and training is adopted in the health service to reduce the risk and impact of error and to ensure that a just culture exists to prevent problems in the future. This book is a vital part of the armoury required.’– Professor Mark A. Taylor, Consultant General and Hepato-Biliary Surgeon What can you do to fix the situation? Are there any simple solutions? If you can’t think what to do yourself, ask the person affected if there’s anything you can do to put things right.

We so often sleepwalk through life, assuming the systems around us work for the best. Being attentive to human error not only wakes us from that stupor, but makes us realise the ways we can be attentive to our own mistakes. As relevant to big business, industry and elite sport as it is to the individual, error management and how to be alert to it is an important conversation to be had in all walks of life. Niall’s vast experience makes him the perfect person to write this book.’– Orla Chennaoui, journalist and Lead Presenter for Eurosport’s cycling coverage From 1st July 2021, VAT will be applicable to those EU countries where VAT is applied to books - this additional charge will be collected by Fed Ex (or the Royal Mail) at the time of delivery. Shipments to the USA & Canada: WAYB remains an indispensable companion for anyone seriously committed to the profession of author, whether full-time or part-time; and as always it is particularly valued by those who are setting out hopefully on that vocational path.' - David Lodge In this ground-breaking book, Niall Downey - a cardio-thoracic surgeon who retrained to become a commercial airline pilot - uses his expertise in medicine and aviation to explore the critical issue of managing human error. With further examples from business, politics, sport, technology, the civil service and other fields, Downey makes a powerful case that by following some clear guidelines any organisation can greatly reduce the incidence and impact of human error. Perhaps it’s time to teach people how to analyse information to try to separate the wheat from the chaff.”

Other industries are by no means immune from error. Agriculture, for instance, has the highest mortality rate among workers in the UK and Ireland. UK figures show deaths consistently running at 20 times higher than other industries. Errors in the financial industry led to a global meltdown of financial markets in 2008, the effects of which are still being felt. Niall Downey attended St. Columb’s College in Derry and qualified as a doctor from Trinity College, Dublin. After twelve years of medical training, Niall decided to change course and retrained as an airline pilot with Aer Lingus, initially combining aviation with medicine by working as an Accident & Emergency doctor before focusing full-time on aviation. If you're coming to Coles by car, why not take advantage of the 2 hours free parking at Sainsbury's Pioneer Square - just follow the signs for Pioneer Square as you drive into Bicester and park in the multi-storey car park above the supermarket. Come down the travelators, exit Sainsbury's, turn right and follow the pedestrianised walkway to Crown Walk and turn right - and Coles will be right in front of you. You don't need to shop in Sainsbury's to get the free parking! Where to Find Us

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When I moved out of healthcare and retrained as an airline pilot, I was somewhat disorientated by a completely different approach to error. It was seen as inevitable and, therefore, something to be dealt with, not to be ashamed of. Captain Niall Downey originally qualified in medicine, training in cardiothoracic surgery, before deciding to change career for commercial aviation. In this great new book, Niall shares his unique expertise and insight from both professions to help healthcare colleagues learn how to reduce their chance of medical error.’– Professor Peter Brennan, Consultant Oral & Maxillo-Facial Surgeon It took me quite a while to come to terms with this different mentality, but over time I realised what a valuable approach it was. I was sitting at the nurses’ station on a ward in a major Belfast hospital. The bed closest to me had the curtains pulled. The ‘crash’ team had just left and behind the curtains was an elderly lady who had just died from irrecoverable cardiac failure, precipitated by me prescribing her more intravenous fluids than her ailing heart was apparently able to handle. I had just killed my first patient. Society’s development has accelerated at warp speed over recent decades and shows no signs of slowing down. Unfortunately, our brains have had trouble keeping up and are trying to function in a highly complex, rapidly changing environment while still running on caveman software!

Niall Downey is perhaps the only person in the world who could write this important new book . . . an owner's manual on how to work, live and play safer by knowing how and why errors happen.’– Dr Brian Goldman, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, and author of The Secret Language of Doctors Society is also, unfortunately, very intolerant of error, especially in others. We need to change this mindset. When I jumped ship to retrain as an airline pilot, I was somewhat disorientated by a completely different approach to error. It was seen as inevitable and therefore something to be dealt with, not to be ashamed of. It took me quite a while to come to terms with this different mentality, but over time I realised what a valuable approach it was.When I jumped ship to retrain as an airline pilot, I was somewhat disorientated by a completely different approach to error.” In this ground-breaking book, Niall Downey – a cardio-thoracic surgeon who retrained to become a commercial airline pilot – uses his expertise in medicine and aviation to explore the critical issue of managing human error. With further examples from business, politics, sport, technology, the civil service and other fields, Downey makes a powerful case that by following some clear guidelines any organisation can greatly reduce the incidence and impact of human error. Includes advice from writers such as Peter James, Cathy Rentzenbrink, S.J. Watson, Kerry Hudson, and Samantha Shannon. Again, the statistics are clear: total deaths globally in commercial jet aviation in 1977 numbered around 3000 people while currently figures are less than 1000 annually despite an almost tenfold increase in passenger numbers. Indeed, in 2017 the number of deaths globally was zero! This is due largely to our focus on Human Factors since the late 70s.