I have just returned from India after a two-week long family holiday and there is one particular artefact that has captured my attention. The Clock. The use of the Clocks is very common in the West, but Clocks have never been as popular in the Indian subcontinent. With the exception of … [Read more...] about When clocks become our Gods
I’m Running Late
‘I’m running 10 minutes late. Sorry’. This happened with me twice last Friday. In both the meetings, people were little late, and both were apologetic about not keeping to time. As I was waiting, a thought came to mind. How would the phrase ‘I’m running late’ translate into my native language … [Read more...] about I’m Running Late
Why a shift in language alone does not bring cultural change
Until as late as the 1950s, the Tahitians did not have a name for grief. The anthropologist Robert Levy visited the island and noticed that when someone in the community passed away many Tahitians would fall sick and suffer from anxiety (Levy, 1975). Levy then gave a new language to this … [Read more...] about Why a shift in language alone does not bring cultural change
Cogs In Machines
by Dr Nippin Anand So many of us have fallen into the trap that human factors will be a game changer in safety critical industries. Let’s look at how Human factors is being applied in the maritime industry. I will take an example of an audit check at three levels (Technical, Process and Human … [Read more...] about Cogs In Machines
Learning about people
by Nippin Anand I hear people speak about work, safety of work, learning from work, learning from what goes well, learning teams, learning organisations etc. But we never say we want to learn about people. Why not? Some years ago, I visited a ship at the Aberdeen port. It was a point of time … [Read more...] about Learning about people
Why hazard observations are a waste of resources and what needs to be changed
By Nippin Anand For good five years of my early life, we lived on the first floor of a busy market in a small town in the north of India. The front of our property faced a vacant plot and, in a country where public toilets are a rare sight, most shopkeepers and shoppers would come and pee in the … [Read more...] about Why hazard observations are a waste of resources and what needs to be changed
Why groundings and collisions are happening more frequently?
By Nippin Anand I was once in Peterhead port (near Aberdeen) and I overheard two fishermen saying, ‘Let’s go and have lunch on that ship. We’ll do an unannounced inspection.’ I won’t be surprised if they did end up onboard. I also won’t be surprised if they issued a non-conformance about hygiene … [Read more...] about Why groundings and collisions are happening more frequently?
Why should we learn to observe images to understand culture
By Dr Nippin Anand Images reveal the limits of our imagination. Images reveal so much about our undeclared beliefs, assumptions, values, beliefs and cultural worldviews. Long before human beings could write or read, we were communicating through images. Even today, children learn doodling and … [Read more...] about Why should we learn to observe images to understand culture
SPoR Conference Edinburgh 4-6 February 2026
Presenters are Dr Nippin Anand and Prof. Rob Long This is early notification of a unique opportunity to catch Rob Long and Nippin Anand together in action in Edinburgh, Scotland on 4-6 February 2026. The conference will be on the theme of Holistic Ergonomics and provides a rare chance for those … [Read more...] about SPoR Conference Edinburgh 4-6 February 2026
A short story of Faith and Karma
By Dr Nippin Anand - Republished with permission from HERE Synchronicity. The outer world will bring a meaningful experience to the inner Self when we learn to walk in awareness. Last night, after five days of intensive workshops and semiotic walks in Canberra, we moved to a different … [Read more...] about A short story of Faith and Karma