End this Sub-Forum

[spectre18]

After reading through quite a number of the threads started in this sub-forum, my conclusion is that this forum (Accidents and Incidents) provides no benefit to the scuba diving community what so ever. I've read threads that start as an initial one paragraph report of an accident by a news organization to irresponsible slander of dive operators, DM's, boat crews, etc. the list is endless. I'm sure this forum was started as a way to provoke thought and enhance safety awareness, but what it has become is something all together different. Just my two cents worth!!

 

[DevonDiver]

Did you ever 'Report!' any contributions that you felt were off-topic or otherwise detrimental to the value of the thread?

1) Threads tend to start with a news report, as discussion/naming of parties involved is not permitted until their identities etc are publicly released.

2) Identifying causes is one of the benefits of accident analysis. In some cases those causes are human, procedural or operational error on behalf of service providers (dive operations, instructors, DMs etc). Examination/discussion of the contribution of human error towards an incident is not slanderous.

3) 'Blame storming' is specifically prohibited under the A&I special forum rules. The SB staff rely on members to 'Report!' breaches of TOS - we can't read every post on every thread.

What other items of discontent are included on your "endless" list? If you state them, then they can be addressed.

As for benefit - I've been diving for 20 years and I find accident analysis to be very beneficial to my own education.
As the saying goes: "A clever man learns from his mistakes, but a truly wise man learns from the mistakes of others".

 

[DandyDon]

After reading through quite a number of the threads started in this sub-forum, my conclusion is that this forum (Accidents and Incidents) provides no benefit to the scuba diving community what so ever. I've read threads that start as an initial one paragraph report of an accident by a news organization to irresponsible slander of dive operators, DM's, boat crews, etc. the list is endless. I'm sure this forum was started as a way to provoke thought and enhance safety awareness, but what it has become is something all together different. Just my two cents worth!!

Welcome to SB. You joined this week and this is your second post huh? Don't go to A&I if you don't like it.

 

[ferris213]

The A&I forum has had a direct impact on my safety. I was working hard and stressed and started suffering the effects of CO2 retention. I realised what was happening and was able to calm down. If I hadn't read about it on here I wouldn't have been able to do that.

Sometimes there isn't enough information to really benefit anyone reading it, but sometimes it provides the most thought provoking dicussions on scubaboard.

If you really don't like it, there is one easy and fail safe way not to be offened by what's in there.

 

[aquaregia]

A&I is a popular forum, as are the topics. If you eliminate the forum, the discussions will still take place, but they'll be harder to filter out.

 

[spectre18]

Posts on an internet forum site is Accident Analysis? Really? What it is are comments from posters of a train wreck that occurred last week 3 time zones away.

As for benefit - I've been diving less than a year, have been a commercial pilot for 30 years and have served on numerous military accident investigation boards.

 

[gcarter]

If you have served on many accident investigation boards, then you should be well aware of three facts: such investigations are not quick, little to no information is released until the investigations are complete, and the information given to the public is rarely full and complete disclosure.

As a consequence, people fill in the gaps as best they can. Nature abhors a vacuum.

Personally, as a fairly new diver, I have learned a fair bit from some of those threads, including the things I should be looking for in a dive op, how to safely prepare for and deal with different situations, etc. Do I need to read the threads with a critical eye? Of course. Do I believe everything that is said? Of course not. But that is the beauty of crowds, the knowledge base and experience that is brought to bear here tends to set bad info on its ear pretty quickly.

 

[spectre18]

Ferris213,
Your post with the benefits you garnished was the intent of my original post. Alot of the threads were degenerating into derogatory comments about the people and organizations involved in the incident. My intent of the post was to get people to exercise caution in their posts and to keep the A&I area constructive to the benefit you spoke of.

 

[DevonDiver]

Posts on an internet forum site is Accident Analysis? ... have served on numerous military accident investigation boards.

I think you are confusing analysis with investigation.

There's a wealth of experience on this board that can contribute towards a better understanding of the causes of incidents and can translate that into learning material for the wider community. Likewise, we often get first-person witnesses who contribute knowledge beyond what the media releases (which is often inaccurate anyway).

Even if inaccuracies arise, the end result is the production of genuinely beneficial information on more general accident avoidance or resolution.

I don't think that anyone is attempting to portray the discussions in the A&I forum as any sort of 'investigation'. The forum rules specifically state that the purpose isn't to define blame or culpability. THAT is the job of an investigation, which would be carried out by the relevant authorities.

As others have stated, if you object to the A&I forum, then you can simply choose to not visit it. We have 00,000's of visitors to that forum, so it is inconceivable that the forum would be deleted because of a single objection. When this complaint/demand is your second ever post on the Board, a lot of people are going to wonder if any ulterior motives exist...

 

[Thalassamania]

After reading through quite a number of the threads started in this sub-forum, my conclusion is that this forum (Accidents and Incidents) provides no benefit to the scuba diving community what so ever. I've read threads that start as an initial one paragraph report of an accident by a news organization to irresponsible slander of dive operators, DM's, boat crews, etc. the list is endless. I'm sure this forum was started as a way to provoke thought and enhance safety awareness, but what it has become is something all together different. Just my two cents worth!!

Posts on an internet forum site is Accident Analysis? Really? What it is are comments from posters of a train wreck that occurred last week 3 time zones away.

As for benefit - I've been diving less than a year, have been a commercial pilot for 30 years and have served on numerous military accident investigation boards.

Bully for you. There are any number of us here with a great deal more accident investigation experience and accident analysis experience than you will ever have, and there are some of us here with none at all, just an interest, both are welcome to contribute what they can and learn what they may. If you don't like what you read, stay away, all you have to do is control your twitchy clicking finger ... it's that easy.