Work

People or systems? To blame is human. The fix is to engineer.

Year: 2009

Type: article

Abstract: Person-centered safety theories that place the burden of causality on human traits and actions have been largely dismissed in favor of systems-centered theories. Students and practitioners are now taught that accidents are caused by multiple factors and occur due to the complex interactions of numerous work system elements, human and non-human. Nevertheless, person-centered approaches to safety management still prevail. This paper explores the notion that attributing causality and blame to people persists because it is both a fundamental psychological tendency as well as an industry norm that remains strong in aviation, health care, and other industries. Consequences of that possibility are discussed and a case is made for continuing to invest in whole-system design and engineering solutions.

Source: PubMed

Author: Richard J Holden

Institution: University of Wisconsin–Madison

Language: English

Topic: Occupational Health and Safety Research

Subfield: Safety Research

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funder: National Center for Research Resources

Awards: Institutional Clinical and Translational Science Award (UW-Madison)(TL1), Institutional Clinical and Translational Science Award (UW-Madison)(UL1)

OpenAlex ID: W2408263965

FWCI: 6.263

Cites:

Cited by: 61

Related to: 10