Model of a SHE information system

We are here concerned with the prevention of accidents through formal systems for experience feedback. In analysing the necessary processes to accomplish this, we will apply the concept of a SHE (safety, health and environment) information system. Such a system provides the information needed for decisions and signalling related to safety, health and environmental matters. It is a vital element in a company s SHE management system. A SHE information system provides decision-makers with support in several areas such as  

Our underlying assumption is that accidents are preventable through systematic experience feedback. This feedback goes from the workplaces to the decision-makers at different levels of the organisation. An important part of this feedback takes place in informal settings in the day-to-day contacts between people in the organisation. We will focus on how the experiences are made explicit through a documentation of the results of 

A SHE information system provides the following accident prevention 

1 Reporting and collection of data on accident risks by means of accident and near-accident investigations, workplace inspections, SHE audits and risk analyses. Methods of data collection include observation, interviews, self-reporting, group discussions, electronic registration, etc. 

2 Storing of data in a memory (paper file, electronically, etc.) and retrieval of data from it. 

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Let us compare our model of a SHE information system with the way we as human beings collect, process and use information in order to manage our environment. We use our eyes, ears and other sense organs to collect data. We process the data in our brain and relate it to pre-stored information in our memory. We make decisions and execute these through talking, writing, moving, etc. 

In our model of a SHE information system in Chapter 1, we identified four different subsystems, i.e. data collection, data analysis or processing, a memory and distribution of information. We will here first focus on the data-collection subsystem. Chapter 12 presents an overview and Chapters 13 and 14 give details about different methods of data collection in accident and near-accident reporting and investigation, workplace inspections and SHE audits. We will then proceed in Chapter 15 to go through some basic principles for the establishment of a memory (database) on accident risks. After that, we will review different methods for data analysis based on data from accidents and near-accidents in particular. In practice, it is not always easy to separate data collection from data analysis or processing, because these activities often interact. 

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