Flixborough 50 Years On: Safety is a Team Sport

A massive gap that wasn’t filled, key players in the wrong positions and no one taking overall responsibility. Flixborough was an own goal waiting to happen, argues Trish Kerin

WHEN we think about a football team, there are many different roles and skill sets needed to deliver success. There is the sporting director, the coaches (head and speciality), the players (different positions), and the support functions, such as medical, nutrition, fitness etc. Each of these roles is distinct, and not immediately interchangeable. For example, if the goalkeeping coach is removed, you can’t just put the nutritionist in their role, even though both are focused on optimum performance of the players.

It is similar to how we operate in high-hazard industries. We have the sporting director, most likely to be a CEO, the coaches who are akin to facility or area managers, and team leaders who metaphorically don the captain’s armband. The support functions are made up of the process safety team and technical authorities. Our goals are safe production.

A key part of achieving the right result is to make sure we have the correct people in the right roles at the right time. This is organisation capability. You can be the best at your role, but when moved into a different position, may struggle. Consider when David Beckham went from Manchester United to Real Madrid. Having always played on the right, he was being asked to play on the left. He struggled in this new position. He was still a capable player, but he was not performing to his full potential. Even superstar players have a natural position.