1. COULD VPP HAVE SAVED THE TITANIC?
Presented by:
Jeremy Clark and Nikol Eddy

2. “Safety outweighing every other consideration”

3. What are some of your safety slogans?
Why are these important?
I’m Responsible, I’m in Control,
and we’re all going home Safe

4. The Olympic White Star Lines
Integrity | Collaboration | Ingenuity | Challenge

5. The Olympic: Commissioned June 14, 1911
The Titanic: Commissioned April 11, 1912
Integrity | Collaboration | Ingenuity | Challenge

6. Olympic Class of White Star Steamers
Developed by JP Morgan’s White Star shipping group.
Constructed by Harland & Wolff in Belfast included The Olympic, The Titanic and The Britannic.
Designed to compete with Cunard (QE2) & German shippers for the prestigious transatlantic crossings in the early 1900s.
Built for affluent travelers offering high-speed luxury:
The prized ‘Blue Ribbon’ was bestowed upon the ship with the fastest crossing. Held by Cunard’s Mauretania
Reference: ‘The Riddle of the Titanic’, Gardiner et. al. Orion, 1998
Integrity | Collaboration | Ingenuity | Challenge

7. “Blue Ribbon”
What are some examples that your company has equivalent to a “Blue Ribbon”?
Bonuses, Gift Cards, Meal Cards, Give Away Items etc.
What should these “Blue Ribbons” be based on?
Integrity | Collaboration | Ingenuity | Challenge

8. The Olympic – Prelude to Disaster
June 21, 1911: Upon commissioning, steamed into and almost sank O.L. Halenbeck in Manhatten.
September 20, 1911: Steamed into the naval cruiser HMS Hawke Southampton.
February 24, 1912: Steamed into a well-known wreck on the Grand Banks, knocking off one of its 26 ton propellers.
All Captained by Edward J. Smith
Reference: ‘The Riddle of the Titanic’, Gardiner et. al. Orion, 1998
Integrity | Collaboration | Ingenuity | Challenge

9. How does VPP Apply? #1 Management
Management Commitment to Safety and Health
Ignored warning signs coming from previous incidents
#2. Work Site Analysis
Investigation of Accidents and Near-Misses
Proper root cause investigation possibly not done to identify the managing crew’s errors in judgement
#3 Hazard Prevention and Control
Hazard Elimination and Control Methods
Engineering and Administrative Controls possibly not in place but would only be found through proper incident investigation
Integrity | Collaboration | Ingenuity | Challenge

10. Captain Edward J. Smith
January 27, 1889: Ran the Republic aground in New York
December 1, 1890: Ran the Coptic aground in Rio de Janeiro
November 4, 1909: Ran the Adriatic aground just outside of New York
Had a history of running ships too fast through narrow passages, and of not adequately training his officers.
In early April 1912, Captain Smith was commissioned to command the Titanic.
Reference: ‘The Riddle of the Titanic’, Gardiner et. al. Orion, 1998
Integrity | Collaboration | Ingenuity | Challenge

11. Looking Back What leading indicators were there?
What would you do if your leader had these ongoing issues?
Integrity | Collaboration | Ingenuity | Challenge

12. Contributing Factors April 14, 1912 Emergency Response Capabilities
Captain Smith receives at least six warnings about ice fields from other ships at dead stop in the area.
The Titanic steamed toward the ice fields at 22.5 knots, rather than the recommended 10 knots for the conditions at the time.
The absence of binoculars and working comms in the crow’s nest rendered early visual warning virtually impossible.
Motivated by a priority to break the Trans-Atlantic speed record, as directed by Chief Designer of White Star Lines, Dr. Ismay, who was on board for the maiden voyage. It is believed Ismay pressured Captain Smith to maintain the ship’s speed.
Emergency Response Capabilities
The number of life boats had been reduced from 64 to 22, to allow for more expansive promenades.
The officers serving on the Titanic had not trained with the life boats, and were unsure of their capacity.
No standing emergency response plan existed. “Women and children first” was reactionary.
Engineering Flaws
Ship wall material failed due to incorrect, brittle material used.
Some of the 3 million rivets used to hold ship together were found to be made of sub-standard iron.
Integrity | Collaboration | Ingenuity | Challenge

13. How do the Elements of VPP Apply to Each?
Could changes to the design have prevented this tragedy?
Could the lives of more people been saved if policies and procedures were in place and followed?
What decisions could Captain Smith have made regarding treating warnings he’d received?
Why was the ship moving at a faster pace than designed?
Could training have prevented this tragedy?
Integrity | Collaboration | Ingenuity | Challenge

14. The Tragic Results Total number of passengers: 2,205
Maximum life boat capacity: 1,600
Number of lives lost: 1,500
Number of people saved: 705
45 minutes elapsed after the collision before ship’s officers began preparing the life boats.
Only 20 of 22 life boats were launched.
Officers feared that the Titanic’s davits and winches could not handle the weight of a life boat filled to the capacity of 70. As a result, all but the last few life boats were launched half-full.
If the officers had filled the life boats to capacity, hundreds of additional lives might have been saved.
Reference: ‘The Riddle of the Titanic’, Gardiner et. al. Orion, 1998
Integrity | Collaboration | Ingenuity | Challenge

15. Could VPP Have Saved the Titanic?
“Safety outweighing every other consideration”
…was the framed slogan in the chart room
of every White Star ocean liner in 1912.
Reference: ‘The Riddle of the Titanic’, Gardiner et. al. Orion, 1998

16. Takeaways
We hear safety messages all the time, but it’s not enough to simply know or talk about the message.
When was the last time you:
Reported or coached an unsafe leader?
Preformed a Trend Analysis?
Had a meaningful safety training?
Had a emergency preparedness review?
It’s not enough to talk the message -
we have to live the message.
Together, we can make
Incident & Injury Free
a reality.

17. THANK YOU