This explored how leader behaviour influences how well clinical units learn from failure and on team performance based in hospitals. 55 clinical units (with an avg of 20 people per unit) & 224 workers were surveyed. Leader inclusiveness (leader behaviours of being available, accessible and inviting input, openness and showing fallibility), psychological safety and unit… Continue reading Linking leader inclusiveness to work unit performance: The importance of psychological safety and learning from failures
Author: Ben Hutchinson
Hazard identification performance comparison between virtual reality and traditional construction safety training modes for different learning style individuals.
This new study may interest people – it compared hazard identification performance between VR and traditional construction safety training. They also compared the results to different learning styles (which I’ve skipped). Key findings: · “both traditional and VR training can improve the efficiency of visual search during individual hazard identification, increase hazard identification accuracy by individuals,… Continue reading Hazard identification performance comparison between virtual reality and traditional construction safety training modes for different learning style individuals.
Safety checklist compliance and a false sense of safety: New directions for research
This discussion paper explored the checklists and false senses of safety. In healthcare they say that probably the best known version of the checklist is the WHO surgical safety checklist. Prior work has generally shown positive effects, like reduced care complications and 30-day mortality rate. Interesting though, studies on compliance rates of the WHO checklist… Continue reading Safety checklist compliance and a false sense of safety: New directions for research
Models of drift: man-made disaster & incubation, systemic migration, normalisation of deviance, practical drift
More extracts from Foundations of Safety Science, this time some points around the different perspectives of drift and disaster incubation. Some points: · “Disasters do not come out of the blue, says man-made disaster theory” but are “preceded by sometimes lengthy periods of gradually increasing risk” · These risks often go unnoticed or unrecognised – incubation period… Continue reading Models of drift: man-made disaster & incubation, systemic migration, normalisation of deviance, practical drift
Seeking a scientific and pragmatic approach to safety culture in the North American construction industry
This study from Sherratt, Szabo and Hallowell unpacked the concept of safety culture, with a focus on US construction. I’ve skipped heaps and can’t do this justice, so check out the full paper. Ultimately, they “argue for the elimination of safety culture from the safety science lexicon”. Background Off the bat they say: “It is… Continue reading Seeking a scientific and pragmatic approach to safety culture in the North American construction industry
Doctors are more dangerous than gun owners: a rejoinder to error counting
This 2006 paper from Sid Dekker critically challenges the assumptions underlying “error counting” in safety. Some points: (Not a summary) Error background Error counts by organisations are seen to have numerous benefits – providing “an immediate, numeric estimate of the probability of accidental death, injury or other undesirable event” However, categorising errors requires “a number… Continue reading Doctors are more dangerous than gun owners: a rejoinder to error counting
The Shift from System to Individual in Safety Approaches
I found these extracts interesting from Foundations of Safety Science – summarising some key developments and interpretations from over a century of safety-scientific approaches. They observe that despite a myriad of approaches, and developments, “almost every approach seems to end up reverting, one way or another, to the people who work in that system”. As… Continue reading The Shift from System to Individual in Safety Approaches
Making zero work for construction safety in a post-zero world
This study critically discussed theoretical and empirical arguments on the use of zero thinking in construction. They also evaluated performance differences between a sample of zero adopters vs non-adopters in the US. I’ve skipped a lot – so check out the free paper. First, they state that “Zero remains the biggest number in occupational safety”… Continue reading Making zero work for construction safety in a post-zero world
The ETTO principle as ETTOing–or Occam’s Razor redux
A 2014 conference paper from Hollnagel discussing ETTOing. Not a summary as the full paper is available. Some points: “The Efficiency-Thoroughness Trade-Off (ETTO) principle is a convenient way to characterise the adjustments that are an essential part of everyday performance in complex socio-technical systems Despite resource/time limitations, “People nevertheless in most cases manage to do… Continue reading The ETTO principle as ETTOing–or Occam’s Razor redux
Identifying risks and emergent risks across sociotechnical systems: The NETworked Hazard Analysis and Risk Management System (NETHARMS)
I found this pretty interesting from Dallat, Salmon and Goode, exploring a new systems-based risk assessment method called NETworked Hazard Analysis and Risk Management System (NET-HARMS). One key focus on NET-HARMS was revealing the harder to find emergent risks that emerge via interactions. WAY too much to cover in this paper – I’ve skipped large… Continue reading Identifying risks and emergent risks across sociotechnical systems: The NETworked Hazard Analysis and Risk Management System (NETHARMS)
