Safety Chats Podcast

Normalization of Deviation: When Shortcuts Become Risk

Todd Thomas and Anne Marie Sollazzo Season 5 Episode 6

Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.

0:00 | 20:31

In this episode of Portside Safety by Baldwin Safety Chat, Anne-Marie Sollazzo, Todd Thomas, and Ryan Smith discuss the normalization of deviation and how everyday shortcuts can quietly become accepted practice across an operation.

The conversation explores why deviations often start with good intentions, how operational pressure and tribal knowledge can move teams away from written procedures, and why a successful outcome does not always mean a safe process. The team also shares practical ways to identify drift, encourage fresh-eyes reviews, support open reporting, and close the feedback loop through a strong SMS.

Contact Safety Chats 

Learn more about Safety Management System’s at www.BaldwinSMS.com 

Thanks for listening and stay safe!