In the past few years, I’ve had multiple requests for keynote speeches on Safety. Early in my career, I had the unique experience of flying an F-4 Phantom Jet Fighter into some high voltage power lines and living to tell the story – I have a unique perspective on the topic that relates well to any business where execution matters, and safety is paramount.
One of my instructors in flight school once told me,
“AB, the chain of events always leads to the scene of the accident, and you only get 3 strikes until you’re out”. This adage is written in blood, and has proven true in myriad industries including aviation, healthcare, construction, technology, and finance. Most systems have some form of checks and balances or quality control, but multiple failures of equipment, processes, or people can overwhelm the guardrails that have been put in place and lead to incidents, accidents and even disaster. It’s all of our jobs to see when our systems start breaking down, and catch these failures and deviations before we get our third strike.
You can watch a short video telling my personal story here:
You can also read an article I wrote on the subject that provides an overview of my keynote speech on safety here: View Safety Keynote Speech
Happy Spring and Fly Safe!
Anthony “AB” Bourke