Perceptual readiness

As a system scientist, I subscribe to the constructivist view of reality and knowledge. According to this view, distinctions, classes, separations, systems, etc., are all artificial they are not made by nature, but constructed by the perceptual and mental capabilities of the human mind. That is, systems do not exist in the real world, ready made to be discovered by us. Instead, we construct them by making appropriate distinctions, be they made in the experiential world by our perceptual capabilities, enhanced by measuring instruments, or conceived in the world of ideas by our mental capabilities. 

As regards the diagnosing of safety standards, a suitable instrument called the "Safety Diagnosing Questionnaire" draws from systematically collected empirical findings of safe and unsafe behavior (Bernhardt et al. 1984). About 200 questions derived from empirical studies deal with hazards at the work place, with perceptual and jugmental processes, with communication as well as with decision making about safety critical conditions. This questionnaire was recently revised and is now ready for application and further evaluation (see Chapter 7). 

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