APPLYING WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT HUMAN ERROR: FROM THEORY INTO PRACTICE

2004 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 885
Author(s):  
E. Grey ◽  
P. Wilkinson
Keyword(s):  
Human Error ◽  
Petroleum Industry ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
Process Systems ◽  
Error Training ◽  
Accident Causation ◽  
Applied Approach ◽  
Improve Health

Human error is often said to be at the heart of the majority of incidents and the developing discipline of human factors a way of understanding how these errors occur. There is little debate about this. But do we practise what we preach and are we reaping the benefits of applying the insights? Anecdotal evidence suggests not. Human error is too often interpreted as people being reckless, careless or just ignorant in discharging their duties. This so-called careless worker approach was the unstated assumption behind early moves to improve health and safety. It could be argued in the petroleum industry that we have adopted a more sophisticated approach, emphasising the importance of the engineering integrity of process systems and the role of formal management systems. However, there remains a need to better integrate what we know about human and organisational error. Reason’s (1997) organisational accident model has had a profound effect on how accidents are viewed and how we can learn from them. The clarity with which the model is presented does not, however, necessarily translate directly into ease of application. The model is a description of accident causation, but does not provide a method for making assessments about organisational resilience in its own right. As such, individuals wanting to use the model need to be well trained if benefits are to be realised. This paper describes a practical and applied approach to human error training based on principles of adult learning that is designed to tap into trainees’ existing knowledge and experiences.

Goals and Benefits of Knowledge Management in Healthcare

2011 ◽  
pp. 2232-2239
Author(s):  
Odysseas Hirakis ◽  
Spyros Karakounos
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Theory Of Knowledge ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
Knowledge Management Systems ◽  
Patients Satisfaction ◽  
Improve Health

The aim of this chapter is to explain the role of knowledge management and how it can be successfully applied in the area of healthcare in order to improve health services and to increase patients’ satisfaction. The first part of this chapter is about explaining the theories beyond knowledge management as “what is knowledge” and how it can be transformed and captured across people and organizations. The second part consists of the theory of knowledge management and the benefits of it in the area of healthcare in comparison with the old traditional systems. Knowledge management systems can be used to index and at the same time to spread all that information across people, libraries, and hospitals. 

scholarly journals Occupational health and safety legislation: what else is needed?

1970 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian Campbell
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Health ◽  
Occupational Safety ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Occupational Health And Safety ◽  
Occupational Safety And Health ◽  
Working Environment ◽  
Control Methods ◽  
Safety And Health ◽  
Accident Causation

If regulation is to be effective, not only must changes take place in the mode of regulation but also the concepts held by many in management ranks. Misconceptions often abound which, it is suggested, stem from a lack of appreciation of accident causation, the part that the management system plays or a tendency to blame the victim. Thus, too much attention continues to be paid to operator error, whereas in reality, it is frequently the organization that has failed. However, when management recognizes the pivotal role of the system, and makes greater use of quality control methods, the way will be open for the inspectorate also to be more innovative. They will then be initially auditors of the management of the occupational health and safety policy. Without that change the enforcers will, of necessity, continue to be searchers for violations and investigators after the event. It is also likely that the health hazards of the working environment will continue to be given inadequate attention. With the introduction of the Occupational Safety and Health Bill into Parliament in 1990, followed by a change of government bringing its new agenda and thus casting an ominous shadow of concern, such factors assume a greater degree of importance.

Human Factors Issues in Environmental Incidents

1993 ◽  
Vol 37 (14) ◽  
pp. 1009-1013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harold E. (Smoke) Price
Keyword(s):  
Human Factors ◽  
Human Error ◽  
Human Performance ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Safety Training ◽  
Current Evidence ◽  
Process Systems ◽  
Fitness For Duty ◽  
Root Cause ◽  
Environmental Accidents

Current evidence suggests that human error or impaired human performance is a significant causal factor in environmental accidents and incidents. Some data from studies and analyses, accident investigations, and research is used to emphasize the extent of the problems. However, there are existing laws, regulations, or policy that require consideration of human factors in prevention of environmental incidents. Some specific requirements related to human factors are discussed. Finally, some areas for human factors contribution to environmental protection are discussed. These include such things as human error/accident audit reviews, human reliability analyses as a part of risk assessment, root cause analyses of accidents, fitness-for-duty assessment, health and safety training, and human factors in the design of future hazardous or toxic process systems.

Accident Proneness: Science or Non-Science?

1981 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 175-190 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Sass ◽  
Glen Crook
Keyword(s):  
Health And Safety ◽  
Personal Characteristics ◽  
Scientific Basis ◽  
Industrial Accidents ◽  
Accident Proneness ◽  
Workplace Accidents ◽  
Accident Causation ◽  
Methodological Errors ◽  
Statistical Studies

The “accident proneness” thesis has been with us since the early 1900s. The early statistical studies that reputedly provided the scientific basis for this notion are examined and found to be lacking due to methodological errors and a fragmented view of industrial life. Accident proneness, as originally envisioned, has no empirical foundations. It has, however, become part of the tactical armanentarium used in “blaming the victim” for industrial accidents. It focuses on the personal characteristics of workers in relation to accident causation, while de-emphasizing the role of dangerous work environments. In this respect, it has acted as a barrier in the development of preventive occupational health and safety principles and practices. The notion has endured not only because it is tactically advantageous, but also because many members of the professions that deal with workplace accidents have accepted it without reservation and lent it credence. For the purposes of industrial accident prevention, however, it would be more appropriate to discard this notion in favor of a more integrated and broader understanding of the nature of the interaction between workers and their socio-technical work environment.

Goals and Benefits of Knowledge Management in Healthcare

2011 ◽  
pp. 193-200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Odysseas Hirakis ◽  
Spyros. Karakounos
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Theory Of Knowledge ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
Knowledge Management Systems ◽  
Patients Satisfaction ◽  
Improve Health

The aim of this chapter is to explain the role of knowledge management and how it can be successfully applied in the area of healthcare in order to improve health services and to increase patients’ satisfaction. The first part of this chapter is about explaining the theories beyond knowledge management as “what is knowledge” and how it can be transformed and captured across people and organizations. The second part consists of the theory of knowledge management and the benefits of it in the area of healthcare in comparison with the old traditional systems. Knowledge management systems can be used to index and at the same time to spread all that information across people, libraries, and hospitals. 

Consideration of the Human Element in Cementing Operations and Well Integrity

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chad Shenold ◽  
Catalin Teodoriu ◽  
Saeed Salehi
Keyword(s):  
Critical Role ◽  
Petroleum Industry ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Organizational Factors ◽  
The United States ◽  
Oil Well ◽  
Well Control ◽  
Human Element ◽  
Well Integrity

The recent Macondo tragedy changed the health and safety landscape throughout the petroleum industry. Through such incidents, oil well cementing operations have gained widespread attention. Detailed technical reports of the Macondo well control incident outline the significance of the competent and efficient cementing operations. The voluntary API RP 75 standard was recently modified into the current mandatory offshore Safety and Environmental Management Systems (SEMS II) regulations. The regulatory guidelines in the United States, dormant over the past 20 years, are finally being updated to meet current industry and public expectations. The human factor, overlooked for decades in the petroleum industry, serves as the catalyst behind the newly adopted offshore regulations. This paper provides a brief overview of well integrity, and the pivotal role of cementing operations in well control. The critical role of human and organizational factors in cementing operations and well control is addressed. Furthermore. an outline of the newly implemented SEMS II regulations is also offered, with insight into adjustments that could enhance this program’s modest requirements.

scholarly journals Occupational Health and Safety Indicators and Under-Reporting: Case Studies in Chinese Shipping

2019 ◽  
Vol 74 (1) ◽  
pp. 141-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Conghua Xue ◽  
Lijun Tang ◽  
David Walters
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Health ◽  
Safety Management ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Occupational Health And Safety ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
Shipping Industry ◽  
Safety Reporting ◽  
Reporting Practice ◽  
Regulatory Strategies

An index-based approach to indicate the outcome of Occupational Health and Safety management has been commonly used in the implementation of the International Safety Management Code and the operation of Occupational Health and Safety management systems in the international shipping industry. Although the index-based approach is asserted to be a convenient way to measure and quantify the outcome of Occupational Health and Safety management, it is not justified in the wider literature and further empirical research is suggested by various authors. The aim of this study is to explore the role of an index-based approach in managing Occupational Health and Safety in the shipping industry. This article investigates the effectiveness of indicators in Occupational Health and Safety management in two Chinese chemical shipping companies. A qualitative approach is applied to examine the views of seafarers on safety reporting practice. The study reveals that, although the need for reporting is understood by most of the crew members, the reporting practice is significantly affected by different factors such as the crew’s concerns for their own interests, Chinese cultural factors and management’s dominant power over the crew’s performance evaluation. The findings suggest that there is a significant gap between what is required by the rules and what really occurs in terms of safety reporting practice. The study highlights the emerging problems of using Occupational Health and Safety indicators as benchmark for measuring the outcome of Occupational Health and Safety management in Chinese shipping. The conclusion is drawn in a Chinese context, and although the findings may not be similar to other industries or the shipping industry in other countries, they provide valuable indications for re-thinking and re-shaping maritime regulatory strategies.

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