This study systematically reviewed the research to unpack the factors that influence learning from incidents (LFI). Likely nothing new to anybody, but it is a good reference paper for tracking down specific research. Background: · Common reasons for ineffective LFI are “underreporting of incidents (Sanne, 2008), incapacity to identify latent circumstances (Jacobsson et al., 2009), the… Continue reading Factors affecting learning from incidents: A cross-industry review
Tag: safety-science
The rule of three: Situation awareness in hazardous situations
“The rule of three provides a mechanism that converts the risk continuum into a dichotomy for the purposes of decision-making. It does not, however, ignore the expertise of operators … Put another way, the rule of three structures expert decision-making; it does not replace it”
How do boards of directors influence workplace safety?
What impacts do boards of directors have on workplace safety? Found this an interesting extract from a paper I summarised over the weekend (will probably post next week). It systematically explored the links between boards of directors and their influence on safety. Of the 49 included studies, they found: · “Empirical studies gave no insight into… Continue reading How do boards of directors influence workplace safety?
Safety audits almost never target the actual sources of operational danger
Reflecting on my first audit study – we found things many would expect (image 1), like audits largely focusing on administrative items, and superficial matters. And for my construction friends, we found ‘toolboxes’ used a lot to address an issue, even if that issue didn’t have any reasonable connection to something that you’d need to… Continue reading Safety audits almost never target the actual sources of operational danger
Safety culture and power dynamics in organizations
Not much to say here. This article briefly touched upon the interactions of power dynamics and safety culture. Some really cool stuff has been written about power in safety (check out my site). This only really briefly touches on a few points: · Starting with safety culture (SC), they say it has “even been abandoned by… Continue reading Safety culture and power dynamics in organizations
Leveraging Ergonomics and Human Factors (E/ HF) for community impact: what have we learned about how to make a difference
This was a banger – exploring the application of community ergonomics with a strong systems lens. If you’re interested in HF/E, systems thinking, social dynamics, power gradients and more then this will interest you. Can’t do it justice, so a few random extracts. Extracts: Finally they talk about ways to improve this practice – via… Continue reading Leveraging Ergonomics and Human Factors (E/ HF) for community impact: what have we learned about how to make a difference
Getting away “Scott” (but not Susan) free: The effects of safety-specific abusive supervision and supervisor gender on follower attributions & safety
This study explored how workers perceive and rationalise abusive supervision, and how gender influences the relationship. 3 studies were utilised – 2 experimental and 1 field study. For background: · Abusive supervision “may not always be perceived as harmful, as employees’ perceptions of abusive supervision are subjective (Tepper, 2000), including their evaluations of supervisors’ intentions… Continue reading Getting away “Scott” (but not Susan) free: The effects of safety-specific abusive supervision and supervisor gender on follower attributions & safety
Cooking the books: how injury measures and Executive incentives (can) lead to ruin
Another interesting report from Safe Work Australia, authored by O’Neill, Wolfe & Holley, which explored performance measurement & CEO/executive incentives. Too much to cover, so just a few points on injury measures: · They highlight the limits of a “single injury rate as a generic, all-purpose indicator of WHS performance”, relating to data quality and the… Continue reading Cooking the books: how injury measures and Executive incentives (can) lead to ruin
Workplace health and safety performance at the client-contractor interface: Measurement, management and behaviour
A really interesting paper exploring performance measurement and management (PMM) systems in construction. They looked at: · How do clients measure WHS performance in the delivery of construction projects? · How do clients use this measurement to manage WHS performance? and · How do performance measurement and management practices adopted by construction clients influence contractors’… Continue reading Workplace health and safety performance at the client-contractor interface: Measurement, management and behaviour
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
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