The Illusive Pipedream of Zero Harm: A South African Mining Industry Perspective

Not much to say here – nor anything particularly new to practitioners – just thought this was an interesting extract from a study that unpacked South African mining company OHS annual reports. They highlight: ·        “where the injury rates and OD rates show a decreasing trend over time, this should not be construed to mean that health… Continue reading The Illusive Pipedream of Zero Harm: A South African Mining Industry Perspective

The Twenty Foot Rule and Safety Leadership

This brief conference paper discussed the ‘twenty foot rule’ of leadership. I’ve only covered a few points, as much of it reads as an instructional piece on key items to set up the process, whereas I’ve focused more on the general gist and rationale (so easier you just read the paper if you’re interested). The… Continue reading The Twenty Foot Rule and Safety Leadership

Effectiveness of training in reducing accidents in construction companies

This study evaluated the impact of construction safety training on accident rates in Spanish industry. Data from 1,283 Spanish construction companies over 11 years were analysed. They studied the effects of training in the same year of the accident, and the prior three years. I’m not really sure what to make of these findings –… Continue reading Effectiveness of training in reducing accidents in construction companies

An analysis of the relationship between project management and safety management in the Norwegian construction industry

This study evaluated the relationship between project management and safety management in the Norwegian construction industry. Data was from 111 unique projects and 26 firms. They assessed projects on a range of different project management capacities and safety management. Providing background: ·       While a robust body of research has looked at both project management/production, and… Continue reading An analysis of the relationship between project management and safety management in the Norwegian construction industry

Safetywashing: The Strategic Use of Safety in the Construction Industry

This paper investigated the influence of safetywashing in the case of 106 Indian newspaper articles relating to construction and 439 reader comments. Namely, they were interested in: ·         What safetywashing strategies are used? ·         What are the effects of safetywashing? Providing context: ·         Numerous safety strategies are used, ranging from design, technology and interpersonal. Some… Continue reading Safetywashing: The Strategic Use of Safety in the Construction Industry

Safety climate and fatigue have differential impacts on safety issues: Safety climate, fatigue, and safety issues

This study explored the role of safety climate and fatigue on safety issues and outcomes, based on survey of >11k US naval personnel. Note: Self-reported data. They found: ·        “Results indicated a differential effect on the relationship between safety climate and safety outcomes; that is, safety climate affected underreporting the most, followed by likelihood of experiencing… Continue reading Safety climate and fatigue have differential impacts on safety issues: Safety climate, fatigue, and safety issues

Why regulators Should Stay away from Safety Culture and Stick to Rules Instead

This banger chapter comes from an equally slapping book ‘Trapping Safety into Rules’. The authors argue why “regulators should stay away from safety culture”. Too much to cover, so just a few points. They open with “Ever since the Chernobyl catastrophe, safety culture has been invoked as a crucial discriminator between good and bad ways… Continue reading Why regulators Should Stay away from Safety Culture and Stick to Rules Instead

Indicating what Indicators Indicate… a follow-on post about safety indicators

Another post spruiking yesterday’s compendium of indicator research – link here. The attached images highlight some further considerations around indicators – no methodology or logics here, just scattered extracts. ·        Image 1 highlights that simple lead / lag denominations may not adequately cover the full performance spectrum of indicators. And there’s more detailed analyses than this… Continue reading Indicating what Indicators Indicate… a follow-on post about safety indicators

Behavioral Observations Reduce the Probability of Injury for a Week

Here’s one that may interest (trigger) people. This poster presentation highlights the effects of behavioural observations on reported safety incidents the following week. They looked at data over two years from a chemical manufacturing plant and oil refinery plant respectively. I’m always a bit sceptical on studies which rely on behavioural observations, and more importantly,… Continue reading Behavioral Observations Reduce the Probability of Injury for a Week

Harnessing the power of ChatGPT to promote Construction Hazard Prevention through Design (CHPtD)

This study compared whether ChatGPT can assist in hazard recognition during Construction Hazard Prevention Through Design (CHPtD) sessions (e.g. safety in design). Via randomised controlled experimental design, 162 civil and construction engineering students were tasked with hazard recognition activities with or without ChatGPT assistance. Providing background: CHPtD “places emphasis on identifying potential workplace hazards that… Continue reading Harnessing the power of ChatGPT to promote Construction Hazard Prevention through Design (CHPtD)