Category Archives: Uncategorized

The Buncefield Disaster:A Case Study in Safety Failures and Systemic Oversight

The Paradox of PFD’s | David Slater Click here to download PDF

The Struggle to Define Safety

An Historical Perspective | David Slater Click here to download PDF

Functional System Integrity Assessment

The illusion of LOPA | David Slater Click here to download PDF

Simplify – The siren call of safety

“Safety” Science or Pseudo Science | David Slater Click here to download PDF

Influences on Mood and Decision-Making: Good and Bad Vibrations?

David Slater “If music be the food of love —-” The Bard Following up on

The Harmonics of the Brain: A symphony of Electrical Activity

Cortico-Columnar Brain Waves David Slater Abstract The human brain is an incredibly complex organ capable

The Evolution of Design Philosophy: Ethics in Engineering – From Mechanics to Morals, Efficiency to Equity

David Slater The History of Engineering design: Engineering is a field that has continuously evolved

For Want of a Nail —- ITSS!

David Slater     August 30, 2023 For want of a nail the shoe was lost. For want

Free Will – to have or not to have?

David Slater   August 26, 2024 The question of whether humans possess free will, or are

Belt and Braces – The need for “Safety”

David Slater   August 18, 2024 In our quest to understand and predict the performance of

Big Bang to Silence? -The Role of Thermodynamics in the Evolution of Complexity

David Slater      June 29, 2024 Introduction The evolution of complexity in the universe, from atoms

Evolutionary Neuroscience and Decision-Making: Unconscious Regulation and Cognitive Bias

David Slater    June 28, 2024 Abstract The human brain’s decision-making processes are deeply rooted in

The Current Ambulance crisis in the NHS

David Slater            July 16, 2022 Mass (un)balancing of Demand and Supply. What goes in must

A Genetic Paradigm for successful Adaptation

David Slater       September 23, 2021  The Industrial Revolution – from peasant to problem For much

Evolving Perspectives on ‘Human Error’

David Slater      July 16, 2021 Steve Shorrock and his co-authors have produced a very timely

We are Human Beings – not Statistics!

David Slater       November 4, 2020 Oh no, not another abysmal failure to predict accurately, the

The Artificial “SAFETY N” Debate

David Slater      September 25, 2020 “You don’t need to know the whole alphabet of Safety.

Safety in Uncertain Times

David Slater       July 8, 2020 We are living in uncertain times. This leads inevitably to

Resilience is Natural!

David Slater       June 6, 2020 These days there seems to be a false dichotomy between

How Safe is Safe Enough?

David Slater    May 5, 2020 Now that many countries are starting to emerge, blinking, into

Complex systems are inherently unstable – and can become unmanageable?

David Slater      August 13, 2019 Up until after the Second World War, electricity was provided