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© Ben Hutchinson
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A podcast dedicated to the thrifty analysis of safety science, risk, systems, and performance research.
Jump onto SafetyInsights.Org for more research.
Intro/Output "Dark Synth Wave" by ElephantGreen (PixaBay.com)
Jump onto SafetyInsights.Org for more research.
Intro/Output "Dark Synth Wave" by ElephantGreen (PixaBay.com)
74 Episodes
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Re-recording of an older episode for YouTube
Does counting change what counts? If we create indicators on actions that we'd like to monitor, like injuries, profits, tendering, productivity, do we inadvertently focus on managing the numbers instead of the core issues?Source: Chang, L. W., Kirgios, E. L., Mullainathan, S., & Milkman, K. L. (2024). Does counting change what counts? Quantification fixation biases decision-making. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 121(46), e2400215121.Support the channel at: https://buymeacoffee.com/benhutchinsonMore research at SafetyInsights.OrgOutro music "Dark Synth Wave" by ElephantGreen (PixaBay.com)
Seven hours before the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded, four senior executives were on-site congratulating the crew for achieving seven years without a lost-time injury. It wasn’t that these leaders ignored risk; it’s that they were systematically blinded to it by a focus on the 'wrong' metrics. In this episode, we break down Andrew Hopkins’ analysis of that final visit to explore the important distinction between personal safety and process safety. We look at why injury measures may be next to useless in preventing major disasters. This isn't a story about incompetent people or 'bad apples', but how well-intentioned leadership behaviours can quietly reinforce organizational risk blindness.Source: Hopkins, A. (2011). Management walk-arounds: Lessons from the Gulf of Mexico oil well blowout. Safety Science, 49(10), 1421-1425.Support the channel at: https://buymeacoffee.com/benhutchinsonMore research at SafetyInsights.OrgOutro music "Dark Synth Wave" by ElephantGreen (PixaBay.com)
Leadership captures the headlines and conference topics worldwide, but what is the role of followers in team and organisational performance?How can one lead, without those that follow?Refs:1. Leung, C., Lucas, A., Brindley, P., Anderson, S., Park, J., Vergis, A., & Gillman, L. M. (2018). Followership: a review of the literature in healthcare and beyond. Journal of critical care, 46, 99-104.2. Hay-David, A. G. C., Herron, J. B. T., Gilling, P., & Brennan, P. A. (2022). Assertive followership: how to make a team safer. British Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, 60(5), 558-562.More research at SafetyInsights.OrgIntro/Output "Dark Synth Wave" by ElephantGreen (PixaBay.com)Make sure to subscribe to Safe As on Spotify/Apple, and if you find it useful then please help share the news, and leave a rating and review on your podcast app.I also have a Safe As LinkedIn group if you want to stay up to date on releases.
How well do Learning Teams compare to RCAs for the number and quality of findings? This study compares the two.Note: Update and reupload of a previous episode, now in video format.Ref: Robbins, T., Tipper, S., King, J., Ramachandran, S. K., Pandit, J. J., & Pandit, M. (2021). Evaluation of learning teams versus root cause analysis for incident investigation in a large United Kingdom National Health Service Hospital. Journal of Patient Safety, 17(8), e1800-e1805.More research at SafetyInsights.OrgIntro/Output "Dark Synth Wave" by ElephantGreen (PixaBay.com)Make sure to subscribe to Safe As on Spotify/Apple, and if you find it useful then please help share the news, and leave a rating and review on your podcast app.I also have a Safe As LinkedIn group if you want to stay up to date on releases.
What are the precursor factors that kill people at work? And are our investigations effectively fixing these factors?Ref: Stockel, L. R. (2023). What Causes Accidents at Work? Workplace Serious Incident & Fatality Investigations: A Study of Precursors.More research at SafetyInsights.OrgIntro/Output "Dark Synth Wave" by ElephantGreen (PixaBay.com)Make sure to subscribe to Safe As on Spotify/Apple, and if you find it useful then please help share the news, and leave a rating and review on your podcast app.I also have a Safe As LinkedIn group if you want to stay up to date on releases.
You saw the sign, and read the words. So, apparently you understand the risk, or do you?Source: Hancock, P. A., Kaplan, A. D., MacArthur, K. R., & Szalma, J. L. (2020). How effective are warnings? A meta-analysis. Safety Science, 130, 104876.Support the channel at: https://buymeacoffee.com/benhutchinsonMore research at SafetyInsights.OrgOutro music "Dark Synth Wave" by ElephantGreen (PixaBay.com)
How can we design better - as in safer, healthier, more productive shift work systems and rosters? Let's find out.Sources:QGN 16. Guidance Note for Fatigue Risk Management. Department of Natural Resources, Mines and EnergyKnauth, P. (1996). Designing better shift systems. Applied ergonomics, 27(1), 39-44.More research at SafetyInsights.OrgIntro/Output "Dark Synth Wave" by ElephantGreen (PixaBay.com)Make sure to subscribe to Safe As on Spotify/Apple, and if you find it useful then please help share the news, and leave a rating and review on your podcast app.I also have a Safe As LinkedIn group if you want to stay up to date on releases.
Are AI models BS'ing you? Do they have such an indifference--a lack of understanding even--about the truth, that their outputs constitute BS?Note: This is an update and recording of #33, where I rerecord interesting topics for my YouTube channel.Source: Hicks, M. T., Humphries, J., & Slater, J. (2024). ChatGPT is bullshit. Ethics and Information Technology, 26(2), 1-10.Support the channel at: https://buymeacoffee.com/benhutchinsonMore research at SafetyInsights.OrgOutro music "Dark Synth Wave" by ElephantGreen (PixaBay.com)
Safety indicators, metrics, measures, KPIs...whatever. Are these indicators used primarily for genuine learning and improvement - or more often misinterpreted and misused?Ref: Oswald, D., Zhang, R. P., Lingard, H., Pirzadeh, P., & Le, T. (2018). The use and abuse of safety indicators in construction. Engineering, construction and architectural management, 25(9), 1188-1209.Support the channel at: https://buymeacoffee.com/benhutchinsonMore research at SafetyInsights.OrgOutro music "Dark Synth Wave" by ElephantGreen (PixaBay.com)
This paper explores how complex systems not only fail, but succeed, and provides 9 ways that we can move beyond simplistic notions of system failure due to 'human error'.Ref: Woods, D. D., & Cook, R. I. (2002). Nine steps to move forward from error. Cognition, technology & work, 4(2), 137-144.More research at SafetyInsights.OrgIntro/Output "Dark Synth Wave" by ElephantGreen (PixaBay.com)Make sure to subscribe to Safe As on Spotify/Apple, and if you find it useful then please help share the news, and leave a rating and review on your podcast app.I also have a Safe As LinkedIn group if you want to stay up to date on releases.
'Safety Culture' is treated by some as the holy grail of organisational safety concepts: valourised and promoted uncritically.But should we, or even can we, analyse 'safety culture' in investigations?More research at SafetyInsights.OrgIntro/Output "Dark Synth Wave" by ElephantGreen (PixaBay.com)Make sure to subscribe to Safe As on Spotify/Apple, and if you find it useful then please help share the news, and leave a rating and review on your podcast app.I also have a Safe As LinkedIn group if you want to stay up to date on releases.
What do we mean when we say 'human error'? Do you mean as a cause, event, or harm? And does error language more broadly mask more underpinning human variability, and increase the risk of blame?Sources:1. Hollnagel, E. (2007). Human error: Trick or treat. Handbook of applied cognition, 219-238.2. Read, G. J., Shorrock, S., Walker, G. H., & Salmon, P. M. (2021). State of science: evolving perspectives on ‘human error’. Ergonomics, 64(9), 1091-1114.More research at SafetyInsights.OrgIntro/Output "Dark Synth Wave" by ElephantGreen (PixaBay.com)Make sure to subscribe to Safe As on Spotify/Apple, and if you find it useful then please help share the news, and leave a rating and review on your podcast app.I also have a Safe As LinkedIn group if you want to stay up to date on releases.
How should we plan, design and integrate human performance into our risk control and barrier systems?This episode draws on four sources:Mantom, M., Johnson, M., Pitblado, R., Cowley, C., & Krishna, K. (2017). Standardisation of Bow Tie Methodology and Terminology via a CCPS/EI Book. In Chem. E., SYMPOSIUM SERIES (No. 162).Human Factors in Barrier Management: white paper (2016). Chartered Institute of Ergonomics & Human Factors.McLeod, R. W. (2017). Human factors in barrier management: Hard truths and challenges. Process Safety and Environmental Protection, 110, 31-42.Government of Western Australia Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety (n.d.). Human factors: Integrating human factors into bowtie analyses of major accident eventsMore research at SafetyInsights.OrgIntro/Output "Dark Synth Wave" by ElephantGreen (PixaBay.com)Make sure to subscribe to Safe As on Spotify/Apple, and if you find it useful then please help share the news, and leave a rating and review on your podcast app.I also have a Safe As LinkedIn group if you want to stay up to date on releases.
How can we motivate--or even design for--more desirable, safer decisions on health, safety and life, and disincentivise riskier decisions?This episodes explores Gerald Wilde's four tactics of motivating safer behaviour, from his book 'Target Risk 3'.More research at SafetyInsights.OrgIntro/Output "Dark Synth Wave" by ElephantGreen (PixaBay.com)Make sure to subscribe to Safe As on Spotify/Apple, and if you find it useful then please help share the news, and leave a rating and review on your podcast app.I also have a Safe As LinkedIn group if you want to stay up to date on releases.
What factors predict the use of higher-order risk controls? This study unpacks the predictors via use of HECA (High-Energy Control Assessment).Source: Oguz Erkal, E. D., Hallowell, M. R., Ghriss, A., & Bhandari, S. (2024). Predicting serious injury and fatality exposure using machine learning in construction projects. Journal of construction engineering and management, 150(3), 04023169.More research at SafetyInsights.OrgIntro/Output "Dark Synth Wave" by ElephantGreen (PixaBay.com)Make sure to subscribe to Safe As on Spotify/Apple, and if you find it useful then please help share the news, and leave a rating and review on your podcast app.I also have a Safe As LinkedIn group if you want to stay up to date on releases.
Today we're diving into the CSRA's Safety Clutter Classification model and process of decluttering.Source is: Decluttering Safety report, from the Construction Safety Research Alliance, 2025.More research at SafetyInsights.OrgIntro/Output "Dark Synth Wave" by ElephantGreen (PixaBay.com)Make sure to subscribe to Safe As on Spotify/Apple, and if you find it useful then please help share the news, and leave a rating and review on your podcast app.I also have a Safe As LinkedIn group if you want to stay up to date on releases.
How does safety clutter--the accumulation of safety artefacts that don't contribute to operational safety--distract attention and resources from more pressing matters? Can clutter, with best intentions, even contribute to elevated risk?Today's paper is: Rae, A. J., Provan, D. J., Weber, D. E., & Dekker, S. W. (2018). Safety clutter: the accumulation and persistence of ‘safety’ work that does not contribute to operational safety. Policy and practice in health and safety, 16(2), 194-211.More research at SafetyInsights.OrgIntro/Output "Dark Synth Wave" by ElephantGreen (PixaBay.com)Make sure to subscribe to Safe As on Spotify/Apple, and if you find it useful then please help share the news, and leave a rating and review on your podcast app.I also have a Safe As LinkedIn group if you want to stay up to date on releases.
This quickisode jumps into the Walk-Through Talk-Through technique, used to collaborate with workers and learn about the challenges and error traps with tasks, and how to improve.Source: Human Performance Oil & Gas. HPOG.orgMore research at SafetyInsights.OrgIntro/Output "Dark Synth Wave" by ElephantGreen (PixaBay.com)Make sure to subscribe to Safe As on Spotify/Apple, and if you find it useful then please help share the news, and leave a rating and review on your podcast app.I also have a Safe As LinkedIn group if you want to stay up to date on releases.
What if the paperwork that management come to rely on, rather than providing assurance of safe work methods, is more a ritual, disconnected from real work, or how people create safety in the field?What if, in some cases, this paperwork creates a false sense of safety and indeed, masquerades as a false butt covering exercise?Today's source is: Borys, D. (2009). Exploring risk-awareness as a cultural approach to safety: Exposing the gap between work as imagined and work as actually performed. Safety Science Monitor, 13(2), 1-11.More research at SafetyInsights.OrgIntro/Output "Dark Synth Wave" by ElephantGreen (PixaBay.com)Make sure to subscribe to Safe As on Spotify/Apple, and if you find it useful then please help share the news, and leave a rating and review on your podcast app.I also have a Safe As LinkedIn group if you want to stay up to date on releases.
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