Objective To examine the role of cue utilization in the management of interruptions during a high workload, rail control simulation. Background High-risk, high-consequence environments are characterized by cognitively demanding, time-critical activities, in which operators are required to manage frequent interruptions under conditions of high workload. Interruptions are deleterious to performance as they impose excessive cognitive demand on limited working memory resources, thereby depleting residual resources for the primary task. Cue utilization may enable superior performance in managing interruptions through efficiencies gained by the application of implicit patterns stored in long-term memory. Method Two experiments were conducted. In Experiment 1, 46 university students undertook an assessment of cue utilization and subsequently engaged in a high workload, simulated rail control task while managing multiple interruptive tasks. Experiment 2 replicated and extended Experiment 1, wherein 52 university students completed a measure of cue utilization and engaged in a high workload, simulated rail control task while managing multiple interruptions and breaks. Results The analyses revealed that participants who demonstrated a greater capacity for cue utilization also demonstrated a reduced loss of performance following interruptions. Conclusion The outcomes suggest a relationship between a greater capacity for cue utilization and superior performance in the management of interruptions in high workload conditions. Application Assessments of cue utilization may assist in the selection and training of operators in high-consequence, high-risk environments, to ensure efficient and accurate performance during the management of interruptions.

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The concept of safety culture in healthcare—a culture that enables staff and patients to be free from harm—is characterized by complexity, multifacetedness, and indefinability. Over the years, disparate and unclear definitions have resulted in a proliferation of measurement tools, with lack of consensus on how safety culture can be best measured and improved. A growing challenge is also achieving sufficient response rates, due to “survey fatigue,” with the need for survey optimisation never being more acute. In this paper, we discuss key challenges and complexities in safety culture assessment relating to definition, tools, dimensionality and response rates. The aim is to prompt critical reflection on these issues and point to possible solutions and areas for future research.

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Although interruptions and breaks are similar insofar as they both offer a momentary recess from the primary task, the premise for the activity in which the operator engages differs. Interruptions impose the requirement to direct resources to complete a task, while breaks offer the opportunity for suspended goal rehearsal. The aim of this study was to investigate differences in resumption lags following “interruptions” and “breaks,” and whether cue utilisation moderates this relationship. Seventy‐nine university students completed an assessment of cue utilisation and managed scheduled and unscheduled interruptions and breaks during a 35‐min rail control simulation. The analyses revealed that participants who recorded higher cue utilisation recorded shorter resumption lags following scheduled, rather than unscheduled interruptions. Participants who recorded lower cue utilisation recorded shorter resumption lags following breaks compared to interruptions, irrespective of the administration. The results suggest that scheduled interruptions and breaks offer the opportunity for suspended goal rehearsal.