It's a matter of preparation — bolting down yourwater heaterbeforean earthquakeoractuallyreading the in-flightsafety card before takeoff — but also ofmentalconditioning.
In 1999, a private jet carrying golfer Payne Stewart and five others crashed after apparently losing cabin pressure "for undetermined reasons" after takeoff from Florida, the National Transportation Safety Board found.
To fight surgical infections, often caused by harried doctors forgetting to administer preoperative antibiotics, the hospital initiated a pre-op pause, like the one for pilots before a takeoff: Everyone stops for 30 seconds to make sure all safety steps have been taken.