No abstract

For several years it has been tried to make a connection between organisational and technical safety. Researchers have successfully integrated human factors components in accident investigation tools [1] or have developed an elaborate model in which organisational and technical elements are coupled together [2,3]. These approaches are useful for either the organisation that wishes to learn more from accidents or for researchers who are studying connections between two separate worlds of scientific subjects. Management of industries however likes to know firstly its actual safety performance and secondly in what area of safety money should be spent [4,5]. Neither of the tools mentioned is sufficiently equipped to give these answers. TNO has combined a technical risk assessment with an organisational safety assessment. The result is the use of a combination of instruments, techniques and methods that enforce each other and give a company good insight in what the state of safety management is. The outcomes of the different surveys lead to a solid comparison of technological and organisational measures to be taken and serve as a basis for further decision making. The method is tested in a pilot study in a chemical production site. This paper describes the developed methods for organisational safety and the use of it by the case company.

Work related stress is one of the most important causes of disability and absenteeism. It can cause a decline of motivation and productivity. TNO Work and Employment has developed an instrument, called Tripod Sigma, that identifies risks to work stress and provides tools for remedying these risks. The Tripod Sigma model is developed analogous to the Tripod Delta model which Shell has initiated to identify and pro-actively control safety risks. This model, developed by the University of Leiden and Manchester, is used to measure latent failures in the working environment that can cause human error. The main philosophy behind Tripod Delta is that human error can most effectively be controlled by controlling the working environment and the organisation of work. Work stress, like human error, is something that occurs on the level of the individual. Research shows that causes that contribute to work related stress can also be traced back to conditions of the working environment of employees. The project described in this paper has the aim to develop an instrument for analysis of risks for work related stress 'all the way back' to the level of management decisions. An instrument that not only identifies risks, but also provides direct tools to reduce or prevent risks.