“Do Your Own Research” linked to misperceptions of COVID-19, scientific mistrust

“Do Your Own Research” (DYOR)… What could possibly go wrong? A fascinating podcast from You Are Not So Smart covered recent research around this expression/movement – DYOR. (Links below) Dave McRaney talks with Sedona Chinn about a paper of hers exploring DYOR. DYOR was said to be made a slogan by an American conspiracy believer,…

Understanding how signals passed at danger occur through the lens of sociotechnical systems

This brief paper examined “how the design of railroad systems and the organisational processes that create positive outcomes also produce the adverse safety outcomes associated with SPADs” (p1). They draw on sociotechnical lenses. A SPAD is a signal passed at danger (when rail traffic passes a stop signal when not authorised to do so). I…

Wallan train derailment, practical drift and seeing what you expect to see

Good to see investigation reports drawing on contemporary thinking in their narratives, like practical drift from Snook and incorporation of HF/E. This report comes from the ATSB (who are usually pretty progressive – another great example is the Columbia shuttle investigation). It describes findings from the 2020 train derailment at Wallan; killing two and injuring…

Psychological Safety in Intensive Care Unit Rounding Teams

This study explored the role of psychological safety (PS) on team performance (both perceived and actual performance) in the intensive care unit (ICU). Daily surveys of healthcare providers in 12 ICUs within an integrated health system over a 2-week period were undertaken. Surveys included PS, leader familiarity, leader inclusiveness, role clarity, job strain, and teamwork.…

Psychosocial hazards in the offshore oil & gas sector: bullying & micromanagement [and food rationing?]

What psychosocial factors dominate in mental ill-health and stress among offshore oil & gas workers? A summary to be posted in the coming weeks explored this in a sample of Australian offshore workers. No surprises with key findings: ·        Fear of speaking up ·        unsatisfactory company-provided facilities ·        work–life interference ·        work status issues ·        micromanaging ·        gender harassment ·        bullying ·        production…

Signals Passed at Danger, rail accidents, and a sociotechnical lens

What factors across the whole sociotechnical system contribute to and create opportunities for rail accidents? A paper to be posted in the coming weeks explored this question. While there’s newer and more extensive sociotechnical analyses of rail events and SPADs (signals passed at danger), I found this a nice little read. Whereas earlier evaluations of…

A system of safety management practices and worker engagement for reducing and preventing accidents: An empirical and theoretical investigation

This study explored the links between safety management system practices, human performance concepts, employee engagement levels and both objective safety performance outcomes and self-reported injuries. Data was collected via surveys from safety managers, supervisors and workers. It’s a survey study, so take from it what you will. Also, as always, caveat emptor around the stability…

Macrocognition and decision making and expertise

I found this an interesting few paras from Klein & Wright’s 2016 paper, discussing the contributions of macrocognition and NDM (naturalistic decision making). Macrocognition is “the study of cognitive processes affecting people such as firefighters, pilots, nurses, and others who had to wrestle with difficult dilemmas in complex settings under time pressure and uncertainty”. Macrocognition…

Organizational practices for learning with work accidents throughout their information cycle

This study explored the learning strategies used by different companies in response to occupational accidents. Seventeen case studies were conducted with organisations from various industries via semi-structured interviews and analysis of documentation. Providing context: ·        Organisational learning can be of any type that improves an organisation’s ability to perform its work better, in this case more…

Restorative Just Culture: a Study of the Practical and Economic Effects of Implementing Restorative Justice in an NHS Trust

This study tracked the implementation of a restorative justice approach in a NHS community and mental health trust in the UK. The implementation occurred over a period of 18 months, where restorative justice focused on “understanding, healing, and learning”. Providing background: The restorative approach involved a number of activities. See the below image for a…