“wHeRe iS tHe eViDeNcE fOr pSyChOsOcIaL risks?!1?!11” I can’t be bothered repeatedly linking to the dozens of systematic reviews and meta-analyses on the connections between psychosocial factors and various indices of health, safety, and organizational performance on LinkedIn. So, I’m just compiling a few into a mini-collection. WAY WAY WAY too much to systematically cover… Continue reading Mini-Comp: Psychosocial Risks / Mental-Ill Health / Psychological Injury
Year: 2025
Impact of Energy-Based Safety Training on Quality of Prejob Safety Meetings and Control of Hazardous Energy in Construction: Multiple Baseline Experiment
This study explored the role of energy-based safety training on the quality of the prestart meetings. Method was a multiple baseline assessment on 10 construction crews in the US and Canada following the training intervention, then measuring the prejob safety brief quality and HECA (High Energy Control Assessment). Background: · Construction accounts for about 7%… Continue reading Impact of Energy-Based Safety Training on Quality of Prejob Safety Meetings and Control of Hazardous Energy in Construction: Multiple Baseline Experiment
Safe AF (As Facts): My new safety podcast in development
So, I’ve decided to dabble in the podcasting world. Currently producing the first few episodes of: Safe AF (as Facts) Lazily pronounced as ‘Safe As’. It’s a thrifty, low budget, low effort discussion of scientific research in the same general format as my summaries. Hoping to extend the reach of safety & performance science beyond… Continue reading Safe AF (As Facts): My new safety podcast in development
“Measuring what’s measurable rather than what’s important” – Better indicators part 1: Donella Meadows
A banger report from the late, great Donella Meadows, talking about sustainable indicators. WAY too much to cover, so extracts over 3-4 separate posts. Today is background on indicators before the specific and meatier stuff. Extracts: (** Part 2 in comments **) · “We have many words for indicator— sign, symptom, omen, signal, tip, clue, grade,… Continue reading “Measuring what’s measurable rather than what’s important” – Better indicators part 1: Donella Meadows
Fatigue impairment (sustained wakefulness) similar to BAC 0.05% impairments in reaction time
Extended wakefulness (24h) equivalent to a 0.05% Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC), so this study found. One of several studies which compared sustained wakefulness and different alcohol intoxication levels on cognitive performance, however this study found the earlier studies overestimated the effects. 40 adults were kept awake for 24h and tested on a simple cognitive performance… Continue reading Fatigue impairment (sustained wakefulness) similar to BAC 0.05% impairments in reaction time
Building Organizational Resilience Through Organizational Learning: A Systematic Review
This explored organisational resilience (OR) through the lens of organisational learning (OL). I found it a pretty tough paper to summarise. In short, OL relies on experiential learning, a systematic approach to learning, an organisational ability to unlearn, and a context that facilitates OL. OR is defined as an organisation’s “ability to anticipate potential threats,… Continue reading Building Organizational Resilience Through Organizational Learning: A Systematic Review
Barrier / control system failures in the BP Texas City disaster & organisational factors
This paper explored the barrier system (e.g. controls) performance in the genesis of the 2005 BP Texas City disaster. Not much to say – the images say enough. Some extracts: · As per image 1, several organisational factors or management delivery system were central in the poor barrier system performance · They propose many of these factors… Continue reading Barrier / control system failures in the BP Texas City disaster & organisational factors
The dark side of artificial intelligence adoption: linking artificial intelligence adoption to employee depression via psychological safety and ethical leadership
Can adopting workplace AI technologies adversely affect employee psychological distress and depression? Yes according to this study. Online surveys of 381 employees in S.Korean companies was used. Background: · “In AI-centric environments .. AI reshapes jobs and workflows, affecting workers’ psychological health, satisfaction, commitment, and performance, as well as broader organizational outcomes” · “While AI adoption affects… Continue reading The dark side of artificial intelligence adoption: linking artificial intelligence adoption to employee depression via psychological safety and ethical leadership
Preventing fatal accidents in construction through the management of barriers
This paper explored a (close-to) real-time safety performance indicator for barriers (sometimes called ‘controls’, although other typologies place barriers and safeguards under the broader category of ‘barriers’). The author developed and tested an indicator for the availability of barriers against fatal accidents during construction work. I’ve skipped a lot – but it’s open access, so… Continue reading Preventing fatal accidents in construction through the management of barriers
Night shifts and large gaps between work-as-prescribed and work-as-done: Maritime NZ case
Final post from the Maritime NZ case where the CEO (Gibson) was charged under a failure to exercise due diligence for a work fatality (Ports of Auckland Limited (POAL). Some extracts on night shift work and work-as-done: · “prior to Mr Kalati’s death, there was a culture, particularly on the nightshift, of the stevedores engaging in… Continue reading Night shifts and large gaps between work-as-prescribed and work-as-done: Maritime NZ case
SafetyInsights.org 