SafetyInsights.org

I found this read a little different from recent others – it compared several accident perspectives in explaining the Titanic sinking. Note. I expect many will disagree with their classifications (as did I). Maybe don’t take the exact findings too literally, but it’s interesting to ponder the findings nevertheless – no less WYLFIWYF. They used… Continue reading Titanic viewed from different perspectives on major accidents

Here’s another interesting read on the theme of learning, language and barriers from Crista Vesel, MSc and Ivan Pupulidy, PhD, discussing the background of the Learning Review. The Learning Review first came about after adoption by the U.S. Forest Service, being “designed to facilitate the understanding of the factors and conditions that influence human actions… Continue reading The Learning Review: Adding to the accident investigation toolbox

A banger from Cristia Vesel exploring how language can hinder or facilitate organisational learning following events. I put this summary off for a long time due to the challenge of summarising – virtually every line in the paper is something I want to repeat. Hence, I can’t do this justice – worth checking out the… Continue reading Agentive Language in Accident Investigation: Why Language Matters in Learning from Events

This 2014 paper from Sid Dekker may interest you. Sid argues that accident investigations serve different purposes – epistemological, preventative, moral and existential. This isn’t a light read – you may want a coffee. Some points: For lessons, two suggestions are: It’s argued that “Accident investigation has a societal license to distort a messy aftermath… Continue reading The psychology of accident investigation: epistemological, preventive, moral and existential meaning-making

Good safety is good business: Or, do more injuries increase the risk of business insolvency? Yes, according to this 2023 Spanish study. This studied 344 Majorca construction firms over seven years to understand the relationship between reported incidents and organisational survival. They found: Now, I expect many people will immediately think “well, duh”. But two… Continue reading Linking occupational accidents and construction firm survival

This study explored the precursors and a suggested paradigm shift in the management of SIFs. They drew on data from seven multinational organisations: monthly injury data (fatal and non-fatal), comprehensive narratives for all serious injuries over the past 2 years and a sample of non-SIFs. Providing background: ·         “Over the past decade, the rates of… Continue reading Preventing Serious Injuries & Fatalities: Study Reveals Precursors & Paradigms

Are workplace accidents bad for business? Not necessarily for the economics, according to this spanking new open access study. A large Spanish sample of construction company reported incidents was evaluated. Exploring previous work, they highlighted: ·        One study of profitability of 300 companies in Catalonia over six years found that accidents reduced a company’s profitability, particularly… Continue reading Good safety is ‘bad’ business: how construction accidents are profitable (until a critical tipping point)

Does language, like used in investigations, affect organisational learning following events? This banger from Crista Vesel, MSc discusses the role of language and causal assignment of agency and how it can hinder learning. Summary posted next week. I can’t do it justice, but gave it a go. From the paper: ·        People naturally want to know… Continue reading Blame, guilt and punishment and the language of investigations