The Illusive Pipedream of Zero Harm: A South African Mining Industry Perspective

Not much to say here – nor anything particularly new to practitioners – just thought this was an interesting extract from a study that unpacked South African mining company OHS annual reports. They highlight: ·        “where the injury rates and OD rates show a decreasing trend over time, this should not be construed to mean that health… Continue reading The Illusive Pipedream of Zero Harm: A South African Mining Industry Perspective

Poor psychosocial safety climate increases teleworker vulnerability to suicidal ideation

A poor psychosocial safety climate (PSC) increases teleworker vulnerability to suicide ideation, according to a new Japanese study. 1,988 participants were surveyed in a cross-sectional design. Key findings: ·        “poor PSC had a direct effect on an increase in suicidal ideation, even after controlling for task-level occupational factors in both teleworkers and nonteleworkers” ·        “the association between… Continue reading Poor psychosocial safety climate increases teleworker vulnerability to suicidal ideation

The ironies of ‘human factors’

This brief book chapter from Hollnagel & Dekker adopts Lisanne Bainbridge’s idea of ironies, in the context of contemporary human factors practice. Can’t cover all the points. Highly recommend you check out Bainbridge’s original paper, though (link in comments). Ironies in this context is a “solution which expands rather than solves or eliminates a problem,… Continue reading The ironies of ‘human factors’

Evaluating the Effectiveness of an Occupational Health and Safety Management System Certification Program on Firm Work Injury Rates in Alberta, Canada

This study explored the effects of Alberta’s Certificate of Recognition (COR) and SECOR program on reported firm-related injuries. (Yes, another that’s relying on incident data…) >14k certified firms were matched with >11k non-certified firms from 2000-2015. They note: “In a systematic review on the effectiveness of OHSMSs, Robson et al. [6] found that although most… Continue reading Evaluating the Effectiveness of an Occupational Health and Safety Management System Certification Program on Firm Work Injury Rates in Alberta, Canada

The Twenty Foot Rule and Safety Leadership

This brief conference paper discussed the ‘twenty foot rule’ of leadership. I’ve only covered a few points, as much of it reads as an instructional piece on key items to set up the process, whereas I’ve focused more on the general gist and rationale (so easier you just read the paper if you’re interested). The… Continue reading The Twenty Foot Rule and Safety Leadership