SafetyInsights.org

Another study on the obstacles of effective JHAs is coming up next week. This paper analysed 30 JHAs and interviewed 23 construction safety professionals. All of the usual players were highlighted regarding problems with JHAs in practice, like: ·        Lack of buy-in to the process: many workers and supervisors recognised that aggressive schedules and multiple competing… Continue reading Obstacles to effective JHA/JSAs in construction

I found this study interesting – they evaluated the viral spread of COVID-19 truth vs misinformation, and some other mis/disinformation. Over 24 million retweets were analysed on Twitter. Overall, they found that : ·        “COVID-19 misinformation is more likely to go viral than truthful information”. ·        Moral emotions moderated this spread: a higher number of condemning emotion… Continue reading Moral Emotions Shape the Virality of COVID-19 Misinformation on Social Media

This studied how the timing of decisions to mitigate risks, pre-construction vs construction phases, influenced the type of control against the hierarchy of control (HoC). Data was collected from 23 Australian and American construction projects, including interviews with 288 project staff. Authors first outlined the research and basis for safety-in-design (SiD). Research from others (Behm)… Continue reading The relationship between pre-construction decision-making and the effectiveness of risk control: Testing the time-safety influence curve

This 2020 paper from Størkersen, Dekker and colleagues explores the growth of internally driven overregulation when “governments take a step back”. It’s open access (links in comments), so I’m not summarising it. They document how the “rules, clutter and red tape that often not contribute to safety”, a type of overregulation, is “generated largely internal… Continue reading How deregulation can become overregulation: An empirical study into the growth of internal bureaucracy when governments take a step back

An interesting study which explored the role of specific learning orientations in financial auditing that enhance or limit learning. Specifically, they looked at how an open error or blame error climate moderates the relationship between four work conditions and learning from errors. An experiential questionnaire approach was utilised with 141 Dutch auditors. Providing background: Results… Continue reading Mitigating work conditions that can inhibit learning from errors: Benefits of error management climate perceptions

This coroner’s report investigated the death of a worker who fell into a tank. Key factors were a failure to secure a hatch on the tank, and the absence of barricades, harnesses, and restraints. The event occurred on night shift. The coroner astutely observed that there was “almost complete reliance on the JSA procedure to… Continue reading Coroner: reliance on paperwork systems, lack of operational verifications and almost complete reliance on JSAs to maintain safety

This paper evaluated the role of resilience engineering principles in managing safety in building repair and maintenance. Data was from 145 professionals in this area, using structural equation modelling. Providing background: ·         Work in modern socio-technical systems often differs substantially between work-as-imagined versus work-as-done ·         A resilience engineering (RE) approach “has been identified as a… Continue reading Framework for measuring resilience of safety management systems in Australian building repair and maintenance companies

Use of story/narrative-based safety messages found to be more effective in influencing safety behaviour compared to technical warnings in a 2010 experimental study. Summary to be posted in the coming weeks. Three variations of a safety message (image 2) were used. Participants then assembled a playset, and researchers observed the activity. Overall, they found: ·        A… Continue reading Use of story/narrative-based safety messaging in workplace safety

Blame, what is it good for? Absolutely something positive, according to a new study to be posted soon. van Mourik et al. explored the interaction between the role of specific learning orientations in financial auditing that enhance or limit learning. Specifically, they looked at how an open error climate (open EMC) or blame error climate… Continue reading Blame climate found to enhance error learning (* with caveats)

Another coroners investigation that may interest you. This involved the deaths of two track workers after being struck by a reversing track machine. The coroner noted that: ·     Technology that was relied on wasn’t able to provide the info people needed, when they need it, such as via a dirty reversing camera as it wasn’t covered… Continue reading Coroners report detailing tick and flick processes, inadequate track protections, and production pressure