High value business travellers

[slavens_holgate_fence]

This is completely true. Companies would employ HazOps specialists (Hazard Operability) who calculated likelihood odds etc. Thankfully things have progressed since then.

They still do, I am involved with HAZOP studies and functional safety.
The functional safety SIL system is based on the probability of 1 fatality per 100000 people.
This is accepted across the industry

 

[Billyzin]

A Tory Party donor.

Exactly this.

 

[asredastheycome]

This is completely true. Companies would employ HazOps specialists (Hazard Operability) who calculated likelihood odds etc. Thankfully things have progressed since then.

Still have them just under a different name.

 

[asredastheycome]

If you look at the Piper Alpha disaster and the wider oil/gas industry, the levels of risk accepted (in fact demanded) by all those companies was horrendous. Thankfully, after the Cullen report, they all bought into a step change process and began to spend real money on the safety of their people. Before that, anyone who stopped a job for safety could expect to be sent home with an NRB note. NRB stood for 'Not Required Back' and his career in the sector was effectively over.

There are still parts of the world, where they are where we were up to then. Change can be grindingly slow.

The NRB works differently now offshore. Oil companies just tell parent company, they don't want you, who then remove people from their positions. That way it's not the oil company finishing them and their hands are clean.
Happened to me when I wouldn't go offshore when we played Brighton under Karsnka. I had been asking for leave for about six weeks. Told me the day before I was due back that it was too short notice and I had to go. Just put phone down on them and went to gamr. I had to go through an Apache disciplinary procefure and although it came out "written warning" Apache would not let me back to Forties. So couldn't go back but still employed my my parent company. They could have finished me but found me a 2 on 3 off job . Worked for CAN who are a good company. Retired now but I would do same again if I had need to. Work to live not live to work.

 

[Soutra]

I remember reading an article a few years ago about the US automotive industry in the 70's and 80's, where they had a series of calculations regarding fixing serious safety issues.

They would look at how much it would cost to fix and compare that to the potential cost of being sued for damages following an incident. If being sued was cheaper, then they would just not fix the issue and deal with the family of those killed or injured.

I think there was a high profile case in the 70's regarding the Ford Pinto which would burst into flames at the merest of rear end shunts. I think there were reports of up to 200 deaths caused by it before Ford decided to do something about it because the negative PR was too much.

I dont suppose things have progressed much today.

When there was a proper investigation into the Pinto, and the number of fatalities caused by fire, it was discovered that the Pinto was no less, and no more dangerous than other similar sized cars on American roads. In the end, the VW beetle was revealed to be the most dangerous car, although not to the extent that re-engineering was required - the design is still similar today with some safety modifications added.

The Pinto was the first victim of bias confirmation. There were about 30 fire deaths confirmed for the Pinto, out of over 3 million produced.

 

[Cuthbert]

What can be more high value than human life?

To the individual, nothing really. That doesn't follow on a global (or even national) level though.