The Investigation Series: Systems, Not Symptoms - Turning Investigations into Risk Reduction
If your investigations end in 'retrain the worker', you're treating symptoms. Learn to find the systemic risk underneath.
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Too many investigations stop at the symptom. 'The worker didn't follow the procedure.' 'Human error.' 'Retrain and close out.'
The paperwork is done, but the system that set the event up is untouched, and the same risk is waiting for the next person.
In Session 3 of The Investigation Series, Mark Alston shows how to turn investigations from a symptom-spotting, paperwork exercise into a genuine engine for systemic risk reduction.
Drawing on systems thinking, Safety II and learning teams, Mark explains how to look past the individual event to the conditions, goal conflicts and system interactions that produce both success and failure.
You'll learn how to discover where systemic risk actually lives, improve the quality of your decision-making, and start building resilience into the way your organisation works, not just the way it reports.
What you'll take away
- Understand the difference between treating symptoms and reducing systemic risk
- Discover how to use systems thinking to see the conditions that drive both success and failure
- Learn how learning teams uncover risk that traditional root-cause methods miss
- See how to improve decision-making quality, not just document the event
- Leave able to translate what you learn into changes that strengthen organisational resilience
About the presenter
Mark Alston, founder of Investigations Differently and a former Australian Federal Police agent, has spent 20+ years in safety, riskand auditing with the likes of BHP, Rio Tinto and Mitchell Services. He helps organisations turn investigations into genuine learning and systemic risk reduction.
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Presented by
Mark Alston
Mark’s extensive experience in investigations commenced as a Federal Agent in the Australian Federal Police, responsible for investigating organised crime and large-scale drug and fraud offences. Since then, Mark has worked for a diverse range of range of organisations including BHP, Rio Tinto, Macmahon Holdings, CQMS Razer, and Mitchell Services with roles in incident investigations, risk management, safety and auditing.
Mark has utilised root cause analysis methods including TapRoot© and ICAM©, 5 Whys and Essential Factors to investigate work place incidents over the past 10 years. Mark has developed and implemented systems of work to manage incident reporting and investigation requirements as well as the training of operational personnel and safety professionals in investigation methodology.
With an investigation process that now focuses on a ‘Work as Normal’ approach, Mark has found a system of investigation that combines a Safety Differently approach with the principals of Human and Organizational Performance (HOP), to identify the true organisational issues that contributed to an event.
As the Principal Facilitator for Immotus Consulting, Mark drives simplicity and quality in the products they deliver. Mark engages with clients and their workers to help them identify and understand risks and develop engaging and practical control management strategies.
The myosh Academy is home to regular webinars on workplace health, safety, environment, and quality, with contributions from select partners.
Organisations across the globe have been using myosh to manage and improve work safety for over 20 years. Our highly configurable, cloud-based safety solution features over 50 pre-configured modules. All modules integrate with one another, and with a Custom subscription you can opt to build you own new modules with us.