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Aerospace Medical Association &
Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society

Workshop: Breaking Bad Habits: The Chemistry of Hyperbaric Safety

Using a "Breaking Bad" theme, this course explores how small deviations, poor decisions, and unsafe practices can combine to create catastrophic outcomes in hyperbaric medicine. Through case studies, incident reviews, human factors analysis, and regulatory discussions, participants will learn how to identify and eliminate the conditions that allow adverse events to occur

Event Information

Event Date 05-23-2027 8:00 am - 6:00 am
Price $250.00

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Agendas

0815–0900

The Chemistry of Disaster: Understanding Risk

Topics

  • Fundamentals of hazard recognition
  • Swiss Cheese Model
  • Human factors in hyperbaric medicine
  • Safety culture versus compliance culture
  • Normalization of deviance

Case Studies

  • Aviation disasters
  • Healthcare sentinel events
  • Hyperbaric chamber incidents

Learning Objectives

  • Identify organizational contributors to accidents
  • Explain how latent conditions contribute to catastrophic events
0900–0945

Walter White's Lab: Fire Triangle Meets Oxygen

Topics

  • Fire science review
  • Oxygen enrichment hazards Ignition sources in hyperbaric facilities
  • Fuel management
  • NFPA 99 requirements
  • Static electricity fundamentals

Demonstrations

  • Oxygen-enhanced combustion videos
  • Static discharge examples

Learning Objectives

  • Describe why oxygen changes combustion behavior
  • Identify common ignition sources in chambers
0945–1000

Break
1000–1100

Blue Crystal: Hidden Hazards and Contraband

Topics

  • Prohibited item screening
  • Patient clothing requirements
  • Personal electronics
  • Batteries and lithium-ion risks
  • Medical device hazards
  • Visitor and staff screening failures 

Interactive Exercise

  • "Contraband Challenge"
  • Teams identify hidden prohibited items in patient scenarios

Learning Objectives

  • Conduct effective screening processes
  • Recognize emerging hazards from modern electronics
1100–1200

When Things Go Boom: Hyperbaric Incident Case Reviews

Topics

  • Root cause analysis methods
  • Historical chamber fires
  • Pediatric chamber incidents
  • Operational errors
  • Equipment-related events

Featured Cases

  • 2025
  • 2009 Lauderdale-by-the-Sea chamber fire
  • Selected international incidents

Learning Objectives

  • Analyze causal factors
  • Identify recurring themes across incidents
1200–1300

Lunch Break

On Own
1300–1345

Better Call Saul: Liability, Regulation, and Legal Lessons

Topics

  • Regulatory oversight
  • Accreditation standards
  • UHMS accreditation expectations
  • Documentation and legal defensibility
  • Expert witness observations
  • Emerging regulatory trends

Learning Objectives

  • Understand regulatory responsibilities
  • Identify documentation practices that support safety
1345–1445

The Cartel of Human Error

Topics

  • Human performance tools
  • Communication failures
  • Situational awareness
  • Fatigue and distraction
  • Just culture
  • Speaking up for safety

Interactive Exercise

  • Team communication drills
  • Near-miss analysis

Learning Objectives

  • Apply human performance principles
  • Recognize communication vulnerabilities
1445–1500

Break
1500–1600

Face Off: Emergency Response Under Pressure

Topics

  • Chamber fire response
  • Medical emergencies during treatment
  • Oxygen-induced seizures
  • Power failures Loss of gas supply
  • Evacuation considerations
  • Emergency action plans

Tabletop Exercise

  • Chamber fire scenario
  • Multiplace chamber cardiac arrest scenario

Learning Objectives

  • Prioritize actions during emergencies
  • Apply treatment-abort decision making
1600–1645

The DEA Raid: Auditing Your Facility Before Someone Else Does

Topics

  • Safety rounds
  • Facility inspections
  • Environmental monitoring
  • Maintenance oversight
  • Competency assessment
  • Leading indicators versus lagging indicators

Workshop

  • Conducting a mock facility safety inspection

Learning Objectives

  • Perform effective safety audits
  • Develop proactive safety surveillance methods
1645–1730

Breaking Good: Building a High Reliability Hyperbaric Program"

Topics

  • Characteristics of high-reliability organizations
  • Safety leadership
  • Learning from near misses
  • Building a reporting culture
  • Future challenges in hyperbaric medicine

Group Exercise

  • Develop a facility-specific safety improvement plan

Learning Objectives

  • Create actionable safety initiatives
  • Promote continuous improvement
1730–1800

I Am the One Who Prevents the Accident

Topics

  • Key lessons learned
  • Participant discussion
  • Course examination
  • Certificates and closing remarks

Final Activity

  • Each participant identifies:
    1. One bad habit to eliminate.
    2. One safety process to strengthen.
    3. One change to implement within 30 days.