Hi, I’m Ben Hutchinson and thanks for visiting my site. This is a collection of research summaries posted to LinkedIn.
*** Importantly, this is a labour of love and NOT a commercial project subject to peer review or double checks. I’ve likely made a lot of mistakes in my analysis of the research. So, please, don’t quote me on anything and instead go to the original source to check the claims. ***
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Free webinar on audits and safety assurance
If you’re interested, I’ll be catching up with the Critical Risk Group to discuss all things audits and safety assurance (mostly failures…) Register here: https://bit.ly/4hKmMJ8
SIF construction fall from height risk 10x higher than occupational health exposure limit – Swedish study
How much “risk” do organisations accept at work? This new Swedish study of scaffolders estimated a projected working-life risk of around 3.1 to 3.6% for a “very serious injury” (e.g. a fatal fall from height or fall resulting in at least 1 year sick leave). Interestingly, and perhaps provocatively, the authors compare this estimate with…
The One‐Per‐Thousand Effect: Rare Catastrophic Events, Hindsight, and Defensive Medicine in Modern Obstetrics
Can one tragic event make things worse for thousands who aren’t at risk? Really interesting conceptual paper discussing a one-per-thousand effect: the process which “a rare catastrophic outcome acquires an organisational influence disproportionate to its frequency”. PS. Check out my YouTube: https://youtube.com/@safe_as_pod?si=V2dbdmW–WbnhzA9 Shout a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/benhutchinson Extracts: • “Every obstetrician remembers the newborn who was…
‘Getting It Right’ About Error: Why We Must Stop Pretending Errors in Construction Can and Should Be Eliminated
Does chasing zero errors help us improve, or make errors harder to ‘see’? This article from Peter E.D Love reviews a range of studies to reframe error – and provides 10 alternative propositions (which I tabulated in image 1). PS. Check out my YouTube: https://youtube.com/@safe_as_pod?si=V2dbdmW–WbnhzA9 Shout a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/benhutchinson Extracts: • “organizations should reframe errors…
Boeing 737 MAX Disaster: When High-Authority Systems Go “Strong, Silent, and Wrong” (YouTube)
What happens when a high-authority automated system operates with an incorrect model of reality? This question is explored via Dekker & Woods’ (2024) article on automated systems that are Strong, Silent, and Wrong. Check it out on my YouTube – link in comments. We explore the breakdown of human-automation coordination, mode confusion, and automation surprises,…
This week on Safe As: How near misses *increases* risk, and how fatigue leads to inattentional blindness
Can near misses increase risky decision-making? This week on Safe As, I spoke with Professor Robin Dillon-Merrill covering her work on how near misses can desensitise us to risk – challenging the rhetoric around the importance of reporting them. Robin discussed how organisations routinely misinterpret near misses and mistake luck for system resilience. Namely: •…
Beyond Supervision: The Power of Role Clarity in Construction Safety Climate
How important is individual role clarity and supervisor presence in construction safety? This surveyed 810 front-line workers across 74 US projects covering their roles, experience, supervisor onsite engagement, and perceptions of the organisation’s commitment to safety. PS. Check out my YouTube: https://youtube.com/@safe_as_pod?si=V2dbdmW–WbnhzA9 Shout a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/benhutchinson Extracts: • “Companies with a well-established safety climate [SC]…
Can fatigue cause attentional blindness in plant operators? (Quickisode)
Can fatigue contribute to attentional blindness in plant operators and drivers? In this video, I review a 2019 study from Li et al. (Automation in Construction) who used wearable eye-tracking tech to measure how prolonged excavator operation / time-on-task fatigue impacts hazard detection and visual attention. Namely, whether the operators notice workers walking behind the…
Better to Bend Than to Break? Effects of Rule Behavior on Dominance, Prestige, and Leadership Granting
Are rule followers, breakers or rule benders better leaders? This explored how people perceive the dominance and prestige of people who follow, break and bend rules, and particularly their suitability for leadership. PS. Check out my YouTube: https://youtube.com/@safe_as_pod?si=V2dbdmW–WbnhzA9 Shout a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/benhutchinson Background: • This article argues that those who “bend rules—that is, find a…
When support for safety misses the mark: The positivity-dampening effect of upper management support following workplace injuries
Can well-intended safety support from leaders undermine recovery after injury? This explores how formal organisational safety support influences psychological recovery after injury via two samples from UK railway maintenance workers. PS. Check out my YouTube: https://youtube.com/@safe_as_pod?si=V2dbdmW–WbnhzA9 Shout a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/benhutchinson Background: • “Workplace injuries disrupt not only physical functioning but also employees’ psychological connection to…
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