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People or systems? To blame is human. The fix is to engineer
1University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.
Professional Safety
|June 23, 2011
Summary
Despite a shift to systems-centered safety, person-centered approaches persist due to psychological tendencies and industry norms. Continued investment in whole-system design is crucial for effective safety management.
Area of Science:
- Occupational Safety and Health
- Human Factors Engineering
- Organizational Psychology
Background:
- Traditional person-centered safety theories, focusing on individual traits and actions, have been largely superseded by systems-centered theories.
- Current education emphasizes that accidents result from complex interactions within work systems, involving both human and non-human elements.
- Despite this theoretical shift, person-centered safety management approaches remain prevalent across various industries.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the reasons behind the persistence of person-centered safety management.
- To investigate the psychological and industry-normative factors contributing to the continued attribution of causality and blame to individuals.
- To discuss the implications of this persistence and advocate for whole-system design solutions.
Main Methods:
- Literature review and theoretical analysis of safety theories.
- Examination of industry practices in aviation, healthcare, and other sectors.
- Discussion of psychological tendencies influencing safety perceptions.
Main Results:
- The persistence of person-centered safety is attributed to fundamental human psychological tendencies and entrenched industry norms.
- These factors contribute to the continued focus on individual causality and blame, even when systems-centered approaches are taught.
- This approach has significant consequences for effective safety management and accident prevention.
Conclusions:
- Attributing safety causality to individuals remains a strong tendency due to psychological biases and industry inertia.
- A continued investment in whole-system design and engineering solutions is essential to overcome these persistent person-centered approaches.
- Shifting focus to systemic factors is critical for improving overall safety outcomes.
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