Are there limits to the benefits of psychological safety? Yes and even *lower* performance in some instances according to a new study. A 2022 study soon to be posted surveyed 170,000 teachers from 545 schools over a 3 year period (wow!), assessing the role of psychological safety, felt accountability and other factors on school performance.… Continue reading The limits of psychological safety – lower performance over time

This mapped findings from incident investigations (considered as reactive safety data) to safety observation data (considered as proactive safety data; presumably from safety walkarounds and in-field inspections). Part of the analysis process used a text clustering algorithm, which sorted key phrases from the investigations which were then linked to the proactive observation data. The data… Continue reading Data-driven Mapping Between Proactive and Reactive Measures of Occupational Safety Performance

In exploring the ritualistic practices involved in audits and the decoupling of planning from operational risk, we found it useful to draw on Hu, Yeo and Griffin’s concept of deep and surface compliance. They differentiate how people can simply comply with a procedure, tick a box or go through the motions, but without really achieving… Continue reading Surface vs deep compliance of safety processes

This study explored the biasing effects of witness opinions and background knowledge held by ‘investigators’ during workplace investigations. 124 participants were involved in an experimental design; not professional investigators as far as I could tell (so note that limitation). In short, they checked the biasing effects of non-factual witness claims on investigator judgments. These judgements… Continue reading Trust but verify: The biasing effects of witness opinions and background knowledge in workplace investigations

Among the most important studies influencing my own research is this excellent 2011 work from Blewett and O’Keeffe. They explore the underlying factors behind ‘failures’ of auditing. First, they flag prior research which had a focus on the auditors themselves – e.g. unintentional errors, deliberate fraud, financial interests and personal relationships They expand this with… Continue reading Weighing the pig never made it heavier: Auditing OHS, social auditingas verification of process in Australia

Do health and safety audits provide comfort rather than treatment for serious safety issues? Our recent study exploring 71 safety audits has been covered in the AIHS December 23 issue of OHS Professional – page 28. Magazine below: Follow this link or click on the image to read the full study: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2023.106348

This study explored factors supporting anaesthetists and nurses in managing complex everyday situations. Cognitive task analysis was used with healthcare personnel following interviews. Providing background: ·         Over decades “the field of safety research has shifted focus from analysing adverse events and errors to understanding how teams and organizations can perform critical tasks and keep processes… Continue reading Exploring everyday work as a dynamic non‑event and adaptations to manage safety in intraoperative anaesthesia care: an interview study

Can excessive focus on procedural compliance hamper our ability to learn from major incidents? Yes, according to a 2014 study which evaluated the fallout from the 2011 Wivenhoe Dam flood event. Maslen and Hayes unpack the resultant Commission of Inquiry. While preventing a downstream flood was seen to be unavoidable, and hence, the on-duty engineers… Continue reading Investigations driving fear and lack of learning following major incidents

Does exposure to uncheckable witness opinions and speculations and background info prior to the investigation bias the subsequent causal judgements from investigators? A new study suggests yes. This study to be summarised soon experimentally evaluated the effects of providing background info and ‘uncheckable’ content (speculations, opinions, or judgements like ‘they’re lazy or reckless’ or work/drive… Continue reading Biasing background info and judgemental speculations bias subsequent investigator judgements

This explored the relationship between individual & system-level variables on procedure use & departure. Individual factors included attitude towards utility of procedures & rule compliance. System factors included procedure quality, perception of procedure change process & safety climate. The analysis was framed via the model 1 / model 2 concept (for a great discussion see… Continue reading Beyond human error: An empirical study of the safety Model 1 and Model 2 approaches for predicting worker’s behaviors and outcomes with procedures