Accidents organisational factors

Human (operator) Error cannot be separated entirely from the Technical and Organisational context of task performance (see figure 2.1). At the very least one should know the importance of Human Behaviour relative to that of the Technical and Organisational factors in understanding the causes of accidents and near misses. On the basis of our own pilot CCR studies (Van der Schaaf, 1989) the following extensions arc suggested ... 

HSG48 gives several examples of major accidents where failures of people at many levels (ie organisational failures) contributed substantially towards the accidents. Human factors topics of relevance to process integrity include ... 

Guidance on investigating and analysing human and organisational factors aspects of incidents and accidents Energy Institute May 2008 ISBN 978 0 85293 521 7 www.energyinst.org.uk/humanfactors/incidentandaccident... 

M. Elisabeth Pate-Comell, Learning from the Piper Alpha accident a post-mortem analysis of technical and organisational factors. Risk Analysis 13 (2) (1993). 

Jacinto, C. Canoa, M. and Guedes Soares, C. Workplace and organisational factors in accident analysis within the Food Industry Safety Science vol. 47 pp. 626-635 2009. 

Chen, S.-T, Wall, A., Davies, P, Yang, Z., Wang, J. Chou, Y.-H. 2013 A Human and Organisational Factors (HOFs) Analysis Method for Marine Casualties Using HFACS-Maritime Accidents (HFACS-Ma). Safety Science, 60, 105-114. 

A closer look reveals, however, that technology alone will not suffice. Soft issues come into play as well, owing to the fact that the installations have to be constructed and operated by humans. This simple fact entails the need for adequate organisational structures, individual competence and adequate ad hoc discretionary decisions - all leading to safely as one of the end results. If these factors are disregarded, no technological achievement can guarantee that accidents are avoided. ... 

Reason, J.T. (1997) Managing the Risks of Organisational Accidents, Ashgate, Aldershot. Reason, J.T. (2001) Understanding adverse events the human factor. Clinical Risk Management Enhancing Patient Safety, 2nd edn (ed. C. Vincent), BMJ Books, London. RedmiU, R. and Rajan, J. (1997) Human Factors in Safety Critical Systems, Butterworth Heinemann, Oxford. 

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