In a 5-year petrochemical study examining over 1,400 work steps, 1/3 were performed differently from what was written in the procedure, but every task was completed successfully. Is this non-compliance or a display of worker aptitude and resilient skill? In Part 2 of our series on procedures, we look beyond the “100% compliance” rhetoric and… Continue reading Writing better procedures Part 2 (YouTube): Rules vs Reality, WAI/WAD, Safety-II / HOP
Author: Ben Hutchinson
Blame, Just Culture & Restorative Justice: Overhauling your process (YT Quickisode)
Does your organisation use a Just Culture flowchart for deciding how to respond to cases of apparent non-compliances and culpability assessments? On my Safe As YouTube channel, I recently covered a study discussing an overhauled JC framework, to help leaders better see latent conditions influencing behaviour, system factors, and align prospective accountabilities. The framework was… Continue reading Blame, Just Culture & Restorative Justice: Overhauling your process (YT Quickisode)
Safety audits appear ‘superficially trapped’ – results from my latest safety study
Can audits verify system effectiveness if its findings rarely require verification of field controls? This question emerged from my latest study which analysed 448 corrective actions from 65 HSE audits, from 16 independent auditing firms. Shared under an open access licence. Although virtually all the audits described their scope as both implementation AND effectiveness, only… Continue reading Safety audits appear ‘superficially trapped’ – results from my latest safety study
From Blame to Restorative Justice: A Just Culture Tool (HOP / Safety-II / New View)
Do traditional approaches unintentionally blame front-line workers instead of fixing broken organisational systems? This Safe As Quickisode on YouTube unpacks how an international energy company redesigned its Just Culture (JC) framework to shift focus from individual culpability to systemic weaknesses. This company found that traditional approaches relied on judgement terminology, like violation or negligence, and… Continue reading From Blame to Restorative Justice: A Just Culture Tool (HOP / Safety-II / New View)
Integrating Energy-Based Safety with Gamified Experiential Learning for Hazard-Recognition Training
Can experiential, gamified learning enhance Energy-Based Safety hazard recognition? This tested desktop & VR scenarios using EBS concepts and surveyed students & experienced practitioners pre and post sessions. PS. Check out my YouTube: https://youtube.com/@safe_as_pod?si=V2dbdmW–WbnhzA9 Shout a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/benhutchinson Extracts: · “Traditional training approaches”, e.g. lectures & toolboxes “focus primarily on compliance and information recall rather… Continue reading Integrating Energy-Based Safety with Gamified Experiential Learning for Hazard-Recognition Training
‘Human error’ an insufficient explanation for accidents – insights from 1964
An interesting challenge to the idea of ‘human error’ as a sufficient explanation back in 1964. This is from Haddon, Suchman & Klein’s 1964 book ‘Accident Research: Methods and Approaches’. Their argument is still as relevant today: behaviour is rarely separate from the environment where it occurs. And as of `64, the “ambiguity of this… Continue reading ‘Human error’ an insufficient explanation for accidents – insights from 1964
Potentially fatal incidents: Identification, classification and human factor analysis
Are incidents most likely to kill the ones we keep classifying as ‘minor’? This article applied a HFACS, hazardous energy, and barrier performance evaluation framework to 62 investigation reports. PS. Check out my YouTube: https://youtube.com/@safe_as_pod?si=V2dbdmW–WbnhzA9 Shout a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/benhutchinson Extracts: · “some events … labelled as PFIs despite lacking credible fatal potential, while others, involving substantial… Continue reading Potentially fatal incidents: Identification, classification and human factor analysis
Dr Linda Bellamy Part 2: Safety indicators, drift, barrier failures & more
What can effective barrier indicators tell us about risk? In part 2 of my interview with Dr Linda Bellamy, we discuss ways organisations can assess whether their critical barriers are present, functioning, maintained and monitored. We also unpack early signs of drift towards major accidents, communication failures across organisational boundaries, the role of mental models,… Continue reading Dr Linda Bellamy Part 2: Safety indicators, drift, barrier failures & more
How to Risk Control / Barrier systems succeed & fail? 4 part YouTube series
How do risk control / barrier systems fail and succeed? How do you properly clarify control performance specifications, allow for the strengths of human performance and variability, and properly identify and strength Critical Controls? My 4-part YouTube series unpacks these questions: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKM0cz24nufg But here’s a lazy powerpoint capturing some of the key insights from each… Continue reading How to Risk Control / Barrier systems succeed & fail? 4 part YouTube series
Signs of safety: An investigation of how OHS professionals interpret injury metrics
When your injury rates improve, are people safer or risks better managed, or are people simply better at managing the number? An interesting interview study from James Pomeroy & colleague exploring the uses and meanings of injury metrics from 20 OHS professionals. Shared under an open access licence. PS. Check out my YouTube and recent… Continue reading Signs of safety: An investigation of how OHS professionals interpret injury metrics
