I found this interesting (and not something I’ve read much about) – this study explored the “systemic causes of Wrongful Convictions”. 50 US “criminal investigative failures” were studied (from a sample of 275). It’s 46 pages, so I’m not even scratching the surface. NB. Without trying to draw a long bow – I think you’ll… Continue reading Confirmation bias and other systemic causes of wrongful convictions: A sentinel events perspective

A newer meta-analysis evaluating the evidence on the effectiveness of debriefs / after-action reviews (AAR). tl;dr: This larger study found stronger evidence for the effectiveness of AARs in some training indices. 61 studies met inclusion. Key findings• AAR leads to an overall effect size of 0.79 in multiple training evaluation criteria • This effect size… Continue reading A meta-analysis of the effectiveness of the after-action review (or debrief) and factors that influence its effectiveness

This meta-analysis evaluated the evidence on the effectiveness of individual and team debriefs on improving performance – for instance after-action reviews (AARs). 46 studies met inclusion. Providing background: ·         The US military has used AAR, also called debriefs, for decades. Used to facilitate improvements in learning and performance ·         Debriefs facilitate individuals through a series… Continue reading Do Team and Individual Debriefs Enhance Performance? A Meta-Analysis

Do fatal and severe accidents result in effective and targeted improvements? Not necessarily according to this research. Leslie Rex Stockel’s PhD dissertation was an interesting read – exploring contributory factors and precursors, and the types of corrective actions in serious and fatal accidents/investigations. 150 reports were analysed from NIOSH Face reports, OSHA and internal company… Continue reading Fatal and severe accidents: SIF precursors, and disconnected corrective actions and improvement

Do aesthetics and beautiful designs matter, or should the goal of workplace computerised systems be to “enhance efficiency, not to give pleasure”? This 2019 meta-analysis on the relationship between visual aesthetics and performance may interest a small cadre of my HF/E peers and designers. 25 studies met inclusion. They found that interface aesthetics: ·        Had a… Continue reading Visual Aesthetics and Performance: A First Meta-Analysis

This paper studied design errors in the chemical process industry (CPI). They analysed 284 major equipment-related accident cases from a database. [Note. This is one of those ‘tabulation of error’ studies. But in this case, it’s focused on design-issues, rather than ‘human error’; I think there’s something to the key findings of an underappreciated role… Continue reading Design as a contributor to chemical process accidents

This upcoming study summary, with Tanya Hewitt as lead author, explored how frontline healthcare practitioners resolve issues by either ‘fixing on the spot and forgetting’ or’ fixing the problem and reporting it’ into a reporting system. In-depth interviews with 40 healthcare practitioners in a tertiary care hospital was undertaken; extending Tucker & Edmondson’s work on… Continue reading Tensions between ‘fixing and forgetting’ or ‘fixing and reporting’ in workplace safety issues

Do debriefs/after-action reviews improve individual and team performance? This upcoming summary explored this question. 46 samples met inclusion into the meta-analysis. For background, they discuss how some sectors, like military, have used debriefs for decades. Debriefs are a form of “emergent learning”, where “individuals use an iterative process of reflection and planning to improve performance”.… Continue reading Debriefs/After-Action Reviews improve individual and team performance

Every year or two I re-read Vaughan’s work (book and key papers)…and each time all I can say is: oof. Some extracts: ·        “mistake, mishap, and disaster are socially organized and systematically produced by social structures” ·        “No extraordinary actions by individuals explain what happened” ·        “The cause of disaster was a mistake embedded in the banality of… Continue reading Challenger Launch Decision: socially constructed risk, the banality of organisational life, and disasters

This 3-year ethnographic study had the lead researcher embedded within the safety team on a large UK construction project as part of a larger project. In this study, the use and limitations of the safety observation reporting (SOR) system was discussed (the system for reporting safety issues or observations via computer or handwritten cards). N.B.… Continue reading Problems with safety observation reporting: A construction industry case study