SafetyInsights.org

Are the things that kill people different from the things that don’t? In some ways yes, according to new research. This new paper from Matthew Hallowell and team compared a selection of SIFs (serious injuries and fatalities) versus LSIs (low-severity injuries). Summary posted next week – but the study is open access, so you can… Continue reading New study finds key differences between SIFs (fatal & serious injuries) and low-severity injuries: absent direct controls

Here’s a couple of interesting papers, exploring the history, methods and applications of risk matrices “Retrospective on the risk matrix” parts I & II, primarily from an engineering perspective. Unfortunately behind paywalls, but the pirates among you may be able to locate them (Or try ResearchGate/the author). Not summarising them, but some key points across… Continue reading Retrospective on the risk matrix: “Existing evidence suggests that the RM is unreliable” and “No testing or mathematical foundation was found”

This 2018 article has already done the rounds – but may mildly interest people who have not read it; titled “Integrating the best of BBS & HOP”. It discusses the strengths of leveraging both HOP and BBS perspectives to improve workplace safety. Probably not the most powerful arguments from both sides, but at least it’s… Continue reading Integrating the best of BBS & HOP

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