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To describe the importance of careful follow-through on safety programs, Thomas Krause of Behavioral Science Technology used the example of the Federal Aviation Administration's 'dead chicken launcher.'

The FAA uses the launcher to test windshields of planes to make sure they won't break if they hit a bird.

The contraption works well. Which is why British Rail decided to borrow it to make sure railroad cars had strong windshields.

Employees of British Rail set it up and launched a chicken. It crashed through the windshield, through an electrical panel, and became embedded in a wall.

Surprised, they asked the FAA to investigate what had gone wrong. The FAA wrote up a report in one sentence: "Always thaw the chicken."