This study used a content analysis approach to compare management stakeholders’ perspectives on procedures versus that of operators, with a focus to reveal differences between work-as-imagined (WAI) and work-as-done (WAD). Both groups were asked questions like: what percentage of the time they thought operators departed from procedures, reasons for procedural departures, definitions of what a… Continue reading Where Two Ends Meet – operator and stakeholder perceptions of procedures

This study was a meta-analysis that systematically evaluated evidence on the effects of workplace safety training interventions on: safety performance antecedents (safety motivation, knowledge, climate) and safety performance (safety compliance and participation). This study was a meta-analysis that systematically evaluated evidence on the effects of workplace safety training interventions on: safety performance antecedents (safety motivation,… Continue reading The effects of industry risk level on safety training outcomes: A meta-analysis of intervention studies

This extensively explored the factors behind >23k fall accidents in the US construction industry over a 20-year period. I’ll cover just a few items because there’s way too many findings to cover (there’s tables and tables of data relating to contributing factors like age, experience, project size, time of day, activity, fall parameters etc), so… Continue reading Causal factors and risk assessment of fall accidents in the U.S. construction industry: A comprehensive data analysis (2000–2020)

This explored the relationships between implementing and using Human Performance Improvement (HPI) concepts & tools and Organisational Learning (OL) concepts on improving safety management performance in the workplace. [Note – this is a highly dense paper with a lot of nuance in its research justification and methodology, so I can only scratch the surface.] HPI… Continue reading Effects of Human Performance Improvement and Operational Learning on Organisational Safety Culture and Occupational Safety and Health Management Performance

Another study exploring accident under-reporting, based on survey of 425 workers across five above-average risk of incidents and injury industries. Some previous research was highlighted, where up to 68% of all workplace accidents and injuries went unreported in the OSHA national reporting system. Other data from the same author found that nearly 78% of experienced… Continue reading Accident under-reporting among employees: Testing the moderating influence of psychological safety climate and supervisor enforcement of safety practices

This brief conference paper explored the application of a novel coding framework for describing and categorising the differences between work-as-imagined (WAI) versus work-as-done (WAD). This study describes one element of a larger study exploring gaps between WAI and WAD in procedures. In this study, a worker wore a helmet-mounted camera during a task of loading… Continue reading Navigating operating procedures in everyday work in a petrochemical facility: A comparative analysis of WAI and WAD

This studied the relationships between psychosocial work factors and long sickness absence (>7 days per year). It drew on a large dataset from 34 European countries, incorporating >32k employees. 25 psychosocial work factors were incorporated into the analysis. The 25 factors were grouped under the following categories: There’s way too many findings to cover, so… Continue reading Psychosocial work factors and long sickness absence in Europe

Another on the issues of procedure use, based on survey of 72 operators in high-risk industries. The main issues for proper procedure use related to outdated procedures and onerous procedures leading to information overload. On the latter, critical risks & steps were reported to be buried in onerous procedures. Issues also related to accessibility of… Continue reading Investigating Written Procedures in Process Safety: Qualitative Data Analysis of Interviews from High Risk Facilities

This looked at the relationship between OHS hazard vulnerability and supervisor support on occupational injuries and illness. Survey data was received from >2k workers who were employed over 15hrs/week in a company with at least 5 employees and who had a direct supervisor. The usual limitations on cross sectional, self-reported survey data (e.g. recall and… Continue reading The Interplay Between Supervisor Safety Support and Occupational Health and Safety Vulnerability on Work Injury

This study examined the influence of counterfactual thinking on safety behaviour, including explanatory factors: safety knowledge, motivation & locus of control (LoC). 240 staff from a hospital were surveyed. Counterfactuals (CF) are ‘if only” thoughts that specify how past events … [or] actions could have ended up differently’ (p1). They include upward CF (UCF) which… Continue reading Improving workplace safety by thinking about what might have been: A first look at the role of counterfactual thinking