Safety Management

For the reduction of accidents it is necessary to deal with systems factors in which both technical and human-factors elements play an equal and complementary role. However, many of the existing techniques in ergonomics and risk management concentrate on plant/technical issues and downplay human factors and "subjectivity." The present text describes a body of theory and data that addresses this issue squarely, drawing on systems theory and applied psychology, and which stresses the importance of human agency within systems. The central roles of social consensus and reliability and the nature of verbal reports and 'functional discourse' are explained in some detail.