This review explored how to design for worker participation, drawing on the design of resilient systems. Not much to say – the extracts cover core resilient design principles. Some extracts to contextualise the images: · Participation refers to “the worker’s influence in decision-making related to safety, involving information sharing between people” · “Design for resilient performance Design… Continue reading Designing for resilient performance & worker participation: design principles
Stop rules in investigations
I recorded a new ep on my podcast Safe AF, looking at factors which influence what investigations find, or more precisely, ‘construct’ as causal, and the factors which influence what gets fixed. One set of factors are ‘stop rules. So, here are some examples of different authors discussing investigation stop rules. Not systematic, and no… Continue reading Stop rules in investigations
Known risks = risk and unknown risks = uncertainty; some definitions of risk
Just recorded a pod on a paper discussing different notions of ‘risk’. Paul Slovic discusses risk as analysis vs risk as feelings (affect/emotion). It reminded me of these constructs of risk vs uncertainty based on Knights work – discussed by Gigerenzer and colleagues in the two attached extracts. Simply, for Knight, ‘risk’ is represented by… Continue reading Known risks = risk and unknown risks = uncertainty; some definitions of risk
Safe AF ep #3: Learning Teams vs Root Cause Analyses (+ transcript)
Safe AF pod ep #3 now live! How well can Learning Teams function against more traditional Root Cause Analysis techniques? What things do they focus on, what fixes result from the learning activities? Does one focus more on blame and individuals? Today we explore a paper by Robbins et al., 2021, comparing Learning Teams vs… Continue reading Safe AF ep #3: Learning Teams vs Root Cause Analyses (+ transcript)
Leader and subordinate perceptions impact different elements of safety reporting
This study investigated the leader-subordinate relationships and how it impacts safety underreporting, near misses, and actual safety incident reporting. >11k US Navy personnel were surveyed. Background: · “maintaining a positive safety climate can be complicated by the sheer number of influences involved, such as the wider organizational climate [6] or individual factors such as sleep… Continue reading Leader and subordinate perceptions impact different elements of safety reporting
Safe AF ep 2 live (just 8.5 mins): SIFs vs non-SIFs + transcript
Safe AF episode 2 live! Only 8.5 mins, so check it out. Are the contributing and causal factors similar between Severe Incidents & Fatalities (SIFs) and non-SIFs? Will addressing the minor potential, low-energy hazards help prevent the major potential hazards? Today we explore a paper by Bayona et al. 2024 investigating these questions. Links below.… Continue reading Safe AF ep 2 live (just 8.5 mins): SIFs vs non-SIFs + transcript
Ergonomics & Human factors: fade of a discipline
This commentary from de Winter and Eisma argues that Human Factors & Ergonomics (HFE) may be “losing credibility” and significance. Despite claims about being a thriving science, it’s argued that the discipline may be at risk of slowly fading because of some of these challenges. This paper had several follow-up articles and rebuttals from other… Continue reading Ergonomics & Human factors: fade of a discipline
Insidious Safety Threat of Fatigue: Investigating Construction Workers’ Risk of Accident Due to Fatigue
This was really interesting. It studied the impact of self-assessed fatigue on hazard recognition and safety risk perception in construction. Fatigue is a ubiquitous phenomenon and among construction workers is said to be no different. It’s been implicated in a range of safety and performance implications. 135 construction workers were recruited to participate in the… Continue reading Insidious Safety Threat of Fatigue: Investigating Construction Workers’ Risk of Accident Due to Fatigue
A new perspective on blame culture: an experimental study
This study explored how fear of blame and punishment affects different healthcare professions, experience levels and gender. 249 healthcare practitioners were involved, and were asked how fear of blame or punishment resulting from an error which caused no, mild, severe or death of a patient. Extracts: · “blame culture can be defined as a set of… Continue reading A new perspective on blame culture: an experimental study
“Indicators are partial reflections of reality, based on uncertain and imperfect models” – Part 2 Donella Meadows sustainable indicators
Part 2 of Meadow’s banger ‘Indicators and Information Systems for Sustainable Development’. Extracts: · “Indicators are partial reflections of reality, based on uncertain and imperfect models” · “The stock market price is not the value of the company. No indicator is the real system. Indicators are abstractions from systems” · And are “are abstractions from abstractions, from models,… Continue reading “Indicators are partial reflections of reality, based on uncertain and imperfect models” – Part 2 Donella Meadows sustainable indicators
SafetyInsights.org 