ABSTRACT The concept of safety culture has become established in safety management applications in all major safety-critical domains. The idea that safety culture somehow represents a “systemic view” on safety is seldom explicitly spoken out, but nevertheless seem to linger behind many safety culture discourses. However, in this paper we argue that the “new” contribution… Continue reading Does the concept of safety culture help or hinder systems thinking in safety?

Risk matrices have many limitations but are they better than nothing? Ron Gantt recently penned an article exploring how injury metrics may not be adequate safety performance measures (link below). This got me thinking about similar arguments I’ve heard justifying other tools or methods, like risk matrices. A recent study highlighted a range of important… Continue reading Mini-post: Are risk matrices “better than nothing?”

This systematic review & meta-analysis evaluated the evidence surrounding the risk of occupational injuries relative to work scheduling. [Note: This study is an update on previous studies the authors published many years ago. Although there’s more recent studies not included in this data-set, I like how Simon Folkard presents the data in his line of… Continue reading Updating the “Risk Index”: A systematic review and meta-analysis of occupational injuries and work schedule characteristics

This study evaluated 41 maritime accident reports relating to machinery space fires and explosions. The goal was to determine if organisational factors are identified during the accident investigations. A modified HFACS was used to evaluate the accident reports (Human Factor Analysis and Classification System, shown below). [Note: Like with any accident evaluation method – what-you-look-for-is-what-you-find.… Continue reading Accident investigation reporting deficiencies related to organizational factors in machinery space fires and explosions

ABSTRACT Background Work and sleep patterns for commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers often include long working hours, shift work and diminished sleep duration and quality, which have been linked to overweight, obesity and other problems. Aims To explore possible connections between work, sleep and obesity among CMV drivers. Methods Survey and anthropometric data were collected… Continue reading Work patterns, sleeping hours and excess weight in commercial drivers

This compared how Canadian newspapers reported on workplace injuries and fatalities versus data from the workers’ compensation data. They sought to answer three questions: What types of injuries & fatalities are reported in the newspapers and how do these reports compare with the workers’ compensation data? What demographic and occupational info is presented in the… Continue reading If it bleeds, it leads: the construction of workplace injury in Canadian newspapers, 2009–2014

This draws on case studies in construction (high hazard buried gas pipelines) and elite sport to examine how risks are shifted to individuals at the bottom of contracting supply chains. In providing background on the topic, it’s said “Despite decades of research demonstrating that accidents are a function of organizations … individuals still bear the… Continue reading Shifting risk to the frontline: case studies in different contract working environments

ABSTRACT The impact of stress on mental health in high-risk occupations may be mitigated by organizational factors such as leadership. Studies have documented the impact of general leadership skills on employee performance and mental health. Other researchers have begun examining specific leadership domains that address relevant organizational outcomes, such as safety climate leadership. One emerging… Continue reading Behavioral Health Leadership: New Directions in Occupational Mental Health

How well are critical risks being managed at the human interface? I think for many this is a question that continually plays in our mind. A couple of recent findings throw some light on this. In Sean Brady‘s review of all fatal mining and quarry accidents in Qld from 2000 – 19, they found that less… Continue reading Mini-post: Critical risk management as imagined vs as done

This systematic review evaluated 34 papers, exploring normalisation of deviance (NoD) in the context of its key themes and interactions. NoD was first described by Diane Vaughan in her work evaluating the 1986 NASA Challenger space shuttle accident. As per Vaughan’s definition, NoD describes “the gradual process through which unacceptable practice or standards become acceptable.… Continue reading A Qualitative Systematic Review on the Application of the Normalisation of Deviance Phenomenon Within High-Risk Industries