Professor James Reason, CBE, 1938-2025

Last week James Reason passed away. James, a British psychologist, was a key figure in patient safety and in the study of human factors and aviation safety. James wrote many books on human factors and risk management and received a CBE in 2003 for his services in the reduction of the risks in healthcare.

Among his many contributions was the introduction of the Swiss cheese model in his 1990 book, 'Human Error';  a conceptual framework illustrating how human errors can lead to catastrophic incidents when multiple layers of defence in a complex socio-technical system fail.  James also described the first fully developed theory of a just culture in his 1997 book, 'Managing the Risks of Organizational Accidents'. 

Read Steven Shorrock's fitting tribute to James Reason here.

Paying tribute to James, Helen Hughes, Patient Safety Learning's Chief Executive, said:

"James Reason was a giant among safety scientists, human factors experts and healthcare leaders. He was fiercely intelligent and hugely committed to sharing his insights and knowledge to make our lives safer. He gave his time and energy to many, researchers, students, clinicians, always with quirky tenacity and humour. The comments shared to Steven’s excellent testimony show how well Jim was respected and loved. He will be much missed."