EP 628 - Sean Brady

Safety FM with Jay Allen

Welcome to a compelling episode of Safety FM with Jay Allen, featuring an exclusive interview with Sean Brady, recorded live at the Energy Safety Canada Conference 2024 in the Van Horne Ballroom. Following his powerful presentation on the Boeing 737 MAX 8 crashes, Sean sits down with Jay Allen to delve deeper into the critical lessons learned from these tragic events. Sean Brady, a renowned forensic engineer, is the Vice Chair of the Society of Construction Law in Australia and a member of the SIMC Panel of Experts in Singapore. He is a Chartered Professional Engineer and a Fellow of Engineers Australia. In 2020, Sean completed the Brady Review, which investigated the causes of fatalities in the Queensland mining industry. This pivotal review, tabled in parliament, offered 11 essential recommendations to improve safety in the mining sector. Currently, Sean is leading an investigation into a major power station incident in Australia. He is widely recognized for his expertise in analyzing the causes of technical and organizational failures. In his presentation, Sean introduced the concept of complex systems and examined how they work and fail. Using the Boeing 737 MAX 8 crashes, which resulted in the deaths of 346 people, as a case study, Sean explored the organizational causes behind these catastrophic events. He discussed the interplay of company structure, location, and the relationship between management and technical disciplines, illustrating how an imbalance between profitability and safety can lead to disaster. During the interview, Sean and Jay delve into how complex systems differ from traditional Newtonian views of cause and effect. Sean emphasizes that complex systems consist of numerous interacting components, leading to emergent behaviors that can be unexpected and difficult to predict. He highlights the importance of understanding these systemic interactions to prevent future failures. This episode challenges listeners to think beyond the surface of technical failures and consider the broader organizational and systemic factors at play. Sean Brady’s insights are invaluable for anyone looking to understand the deeper causes of major failures in high-risk industries. Join us on Safety FM with Jay Allen for this insightful interview with Sean Brady, as they unpack the lessons from the Boeing 737 MAX 8 crashes and explore how to build more resilient and safer organizational systems. For more on Sean Brady’s work, visit [www.bradyheywood.com.au](https://www.bradyheywood.com.au/).