This study with Sidney Dekker as co-author explored whether safety culture maturity assessments (SCA) have predictive capacity for safety outcomes. The study was based in a helicopter squadron of the RNLAF. 31 participants from the squadron completed a SCA survey and this survey was compared to the investigation report from a serious accident which occurred… Continue reading ‘Ladder’-based safety culture assessments inversely predict safety outcomes

What’s the relationship between safety culture surveys and accident investigation findings? Should we expect some similarities and alignment between the two – or even predictive validity of surveys to real-world performance? Lots to be said here (and research), but tomorrow I’ll be posting a new study from Syd Dekker as co-author on how, in their… Continue reading The (non)relationship between safety culture maturity and accidents?

This study explored the links between leaders providing “daily empowering leadership” and how this influenced follower/employee proactive behaviours the next morning. Proactive behaviours were “risk taking” (when employees take personal risks or go out on a limb to improve their work performance despite the risk of failing) and voice (suggesting ideas, concerns, opinions etc. about… Continue reading Leadership behaviours, employee proactive behaviours and impact of sleep

Another holiday mini-post (it’s a Festivus miracle!). This is following the theme on fatigue and sleep disruptions. This study looked at the relationship between shift length, sleep and disabling low back pain. Data was via an online survey from >5k workers (survey…yeah yeah I know) Results below – no pretty graphs here, unfortunately. OR =… Continue reading Shift length, sleep and disabling low back pain

More on the links between sleep disruption, fatigue and injury risk. The first image tracks workplace incident/injury rates as a product of hours per week and hours per day from a large US dataset over 13 years. They found a clear dose-response relationship with increasing hours and workplace injury. Interestingly, this wasn’t simply due to… Continue reading Chronic sleep loss and occupational injury

Given the prevalence of zero harm/vision zero approaches throughout industry, I thought this paper may be of interest. It explores an academic critical view of zero harm, shown in the below image. I was going to post a summary but, meh, not sure I can be bothered (maybe in the new year…) For now, you… Continue reading A critical review of zero harm / vision zero approaches

This data may be of interest on the links between daily sleep, weekly working hours and the risk of work-related injury based on US interview data. [** Yes, interview data has limitations worth noting, for instance recall & memory issues] An odds ratio (OR) of 1 equals no difference in risk, whereas >1 is greater… Continue reading Links between daily sleep, weekly work hours and injury risk

This explored the (perceived) factors that facilitate knowledge transfer (KT) on OHS in and between construction firms and suppliers/subcontractors. Data was based on 43 semi-structured interviews with OHS professionals and others with responsibilities for OHS. KT was framed around organisational cultures. Note: although a range of roles were included (CEOs, project managers, supervisors – the… Continue reading Knowledge transfer for occupational health and safety: Cultivating health and safety learning culture in construction firms

The following data highlights the frequency and types of cognitive biases prevalent under two domains: 1) a range of accidents from nuclear, aviation, fire, transport and more, and 2) medical decision errors. Note: Bias in this sense isn’t meant to indicate some human weakness or unreliability, but more simply, systematic deviations away from an “expected”… Continue reading Frequency and types of biases in decision making

This study explored internal supply chain issues within 2 hospitals with the aim of understanding organisational factors that contribute to operational failures. They note that frontline clinicians spend at least 10% of their time working around operational failures resulting from insufficient information, supplies or equipment. It’s noted: ·        Constant exposure to missing resources, which precipitate workarounds,… Continue reading Designed for Workarounds: A Qualitative Study of the Causes of Operational Failures in Hospitals