Safety indicators, metrics, measures, KPIs...whatever.
Are these indicators used primarily for genuine learning and improvement - or more often misinterpreted and misused?Ref: Oswald, D., Zhang, R. P., Lingard, H., Pirzadeh, P., & Le, T. (2018). The use and abuse of safety indicators in construction. Engineering, construction and architectural management, 25(9), 1188-1209.Support the channel at: https://buymeacoffee.com/benhutchinsonMore research at SafetyInsights.OrgOutro music "Dark Synth Wave" by ElephantGreen (PixaBay.com)
This paper explores how complex systems not only fail, but succeed, and provides 9 ways that we can move beyond simplistic notions of system failure due to 'human error'.
Ref: Woods, D. D., & Cook, R. I. (2002). Nine steps to move forward from error. Cognition, technology & work, 4(2), 137-144.
More research at SafetyInsights.Org
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'Safety Culture' is treated by some as the holy grail of organisational safety concepts: valourised and promoted uncritically.
But should we, or even can we, analyse 'safety culture' in investigations?
More research at SafetyInsights.Org
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What do we mean when we say 'human error'? Do you mean as a cause, event, or harm?
And does error language more broadly mask more underpinning human variability, and increase the risk of blame?
Sources:
1. Hollnagel, E. (2007). Human error: Trick or treat. Handbook of applied cognition, 219-238.
2. Read, G. J., Shorrock, S., Walker, G. H., & Salmon, P. M. (2021). State of science: evolving perspectives on ‘human error’. Ergonomics, 64(9), 1091-1114.
More research at SafetyInsights.Org
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How should we plan, design and integrate human performance into our risk control and barrier systems?
This episode draws on four sources:
More research at SafetyInsights.Org
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How can we motivate--or even design for--more desirable, safer decisions on health, safety and life, and disincentivise riskier decisions?
This episodes explores Gerald Wilde's four tactics of motivating safer behaviour, from his book 'Target Risk 3'.
More research at SafetyInsights.Org
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What factors predict the use of higher-order risk controls? This study unpacks the predictors via use of HECA (High-Energy Control Assessment).
Source: Oguz Erkal, E. D., Hallowell, M. R., Ghriss, A., & Bhandari, S. (2024). Predicting serious injury and fatality exposure using machine learning in construction projects. Journal of construction engineering and management, 150(3), 04023169.
More research at SafetyInsights.Org
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Today we're diving into the CSRA's Safety Clutter Classification model and process of decluttering.
Source is: Decluttering Safety report, from the Construction Safety Research Alliance, 2025.
More research at SafetyInsights.Org
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How does safety clutter--the accumulation of safety artefacts that don't contribute to operational safety--distract attention and resources from more pressing matters?
Can clutter, with best intentions, even contribute to elevated risk?
Today's paper is: Rae, A. J., Provan, D. J., Weber, D. E., & Dekker, S. W. (2018). Safety clutter: the accumulation and persistence of ‘safety’ work that does not contribute to operational safety. Policy and practice in health and safety, 16(2), 194-211.
More research at SafetyInsights.Org
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This quickisode jumps into the Walk-Through Talk-Through technique, used to collaborate with workers and learn about the challenges and error traps with tasks, and how to improve.
Source: Human Performance Oil & Gas. HPOG.org
More research at SafetyInsights.Org
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What if the paperwork that management come to rely on, rather than providing assurance of safe work methods, is more a ritual, disconnected from real work, or how people create safety in the field?
What if, in some cases, this paperwork creates a false sense of safety and indeed, masquerades as a false butt covering exercise?
Today's source is: Borys, D. (2009). Exploring risk-awareness as a cultural approach to safety: Exposing the gap between work as imagined and work as actually performed. Safety Science Monitor, 13(2), 1-11.
More research at SafetyInsights.Org
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How do the models of how we think about work reveal and conceal features of the work?
Today we explore varieties of human work: work-as-imagined, work-as-prescribed, work-as-disclosed, and work-as-done.
Source: Shorrock, S. (2016, December 5). The varieties of human work. Humanistic Systems. https://humanisticsystems.com/2016/12/05/the-varieties-of-human-work/
More research at SafetyInsights.Org
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Imagine following a workplace fatality, that the weakest types of controls are implemented - administrative.
This episode unpacks some findings from the Brady review of Qld mining fatalities and what lessons we can apply from weak controls and repeat deaths.
Source: Brady, S. (2019). Review of all fatal accidents in Queensland mines and quarries from 2000 to 2019. Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Energy.
More research at SafetyInsights.Org
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How can we move beyond simple workplace hazards towards tackling risk from psychological and cultural cues in the workplace?
Today we unpack Rob Long's Workspace / Headspace / Groupspace risk semiotic to help mature our thinking.
Sources:
1. Safety Engagement with Workspace, Headspace and Groupspace. Rob Long, 2021, SafetyRisk . net
2. SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY OF RISK TOOLS (2015). Human Dymensions
3. Workspace, Headspace, Groupspace. Rob Long, Vimeo . com
More research at SafetyInsights.Org
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What are the links between the magnitude of the energy within hazard exposures on subsequent injury severity and death?
Does more energy = higher chance of SIFs?
Source: Hallowell, M. R., Alexander, D., & Gambatese, J. A. (2017). Energy-based safety risk assessment: Does magnitude and intensity of energy predict injury severity?. Construction management and economics, 35(1-2), 64-77.
More research at SafetyInsights.Org
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This quickisode unpacks Ed Schein's concept of Humble Inquiry - said to be the "gentle art of asking instead of telling".
Source: Schein, E. H. (2013). Humble inquiry: The gentle art of asking instead of telling. Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
More research at SafetyInsights.Org
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What does the leadership language used by CEOs tell us about the priority and beliefs around safety and risk?
This episode unpacks a study exploring the BP CEO's speeches prior to the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster.
Source: Amernic, J., & Craig, R. (2017). CEO speeches and safety culture: British Petroleum before the Deepwater Horizon disaster. Critical perspectives on accounting, 47, 61-80.
More research at SafetyInsights.Org
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Does blame really solve nothing...or does it have some redeeming features?
Source: van Mourik, O., Grohnert, T., & Gold, A. (2023). Mitigating work conditions that can inhibit learning from errors: Benefits of error management climate perceptions. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1033470.
More research at SafetyInsights.Org
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This quickisode explores how resilience engineering - particularly enhancing resilient skills - can improve procedures.
Source: Saurin, T. A., Wachs, P., & Costella, M. F. (2015). Exploring synergies between the design of procedures and the development of resilience skills. In Proceedings of the 6th Resilience Engineering Symposium.
More research at SafetyInsights.Org
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How do Critical Control programs succeed or fault and trip? And are CC observations calibrated to the actual things that kill or permanently injure people? This episode unpacks creative sentencing reports.
Article: Lefsrud, L. M., Sattari, F., Gellatly, I. R., Wasel, C., Charuvil Elizabeth, R. M., Abdolmaleki, A., ... & O’Neill, T. (2025). Final Report for Creative Sentence: Building Resilience into Safety Management Systems: Precursors and Controls to Reduce Serious Injuries and Fatalities (SIFs).
More research at SafetyInsights.Org
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