Applying a Human-Centred Process to Re-Design Equipment and Work Environments

Horberry, Tim; Burgess-Limerick, Robin

doi:10.3390/safety1010007

Cited by 7 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…On this, a procedure based on the Job Safety Assessment (JSA) approach was developed, as it represents one of the most prevalent procedures used in the construction industry for safety assessment due to its easiness of use [48]. Then, to achieve a more human-centered approach, its augmentation through more specific safety practices was considered [49].…”

Section: Research Approachmentioning

confidence: 99%

Preliminary Human Safety Assessment (PHSA) for the Improvement of the Behavioral Aspects of Safety Climate in the Construction Industry

Fargnoli

Lombardi

2019

Buildings

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Occupational safety in the construction industry still represents a relevant problem at a global level. In fact, the complexity of working activities in this sector requires a comprehensive approach that goes beyond normative compliance to guarantee safer working conditions. In particular, empirical research on the factors influencing the unsafe behavior of workers needs to be augmented. Thus, the relationship between human factors and safety management issues following a bottom-up approach was investigated. In particular, an easy-to-use procedure that can be used to better address workers’ safety needs augmenting the company’s safety climate and supporting safety management issues was developed. Such an approach, based on the assessment of human reliability factors, was verified in a real case study concerning the users of concrete mixer trucks. The results showed that the majority of human failures were action and retrieval errors, underlining the importance of theoretical and practical training programs as a means to improve safety behavior. In such a context, information and communication activities also resulted beneficially to augment the company’s safety climate. The proposed approach, despite its qualitative nature, allows a clearer understanding of workers’ perceptions of hazards and their risk-taking behavior, providing practical cues to monitor and improve the behavioral aspects of safety climate. Hence, these first results can contribute to augmenting safety knowledge in the construction industry, providing a basis for further investigations on the causalities related to human performances, which are considered a key element in the prevention of accidents.

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Section: Research Approachmentioning

confidence: 99%

Preliminary Human Safety Assessment (PHSA) for the Improvement of the Behavioral Aspects of Safety Climate in the Construction Industry

Fargnoli

Lombardi

2019

Buildings

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“…In addition, both the above-mentioned approaches are aimed at supporting engineers at a project level and thus they take into account macro-activities, while the specific activities that characterize a working task are not addressed sufficiently. Moreover, focusing on the operator and the activities carried out when performing a specific task, the use of a structured risk management approach can allow the achievement of safer solutions [50]. Merging these considerations, we can observe that, when carrying out occupational risk assessment (ORA) activities, four main issues need to be addressed:…”

Section: Background and Motivationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hazard function deployment: a QFD-based tool for the assessment of working tasks – a practical study in the construction industry

Fargnoli

Lombardi

Haber

et al. 2018

International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics

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Despite the efforts made, the number of accidents has not significantly decreased in the construction industry. The main reasons can be found in the peculiarities of working activities in this sector, where hazard analysis and safety management are more difficult than in other industries. To deal with these problems, a comprehensive approach for hazard analysis is needed, focusing on the activities in which a working task is articulated since they are characterized by different types of hazards and thus risk levels. The study proposes a methodology that integrates quality function deployment (QFD) and analytic network process methods to correlate working activities, hazardous events and possible consequences. This provides more effective decision-making, while reducing the ambiguity of the qualitative assessment criteria. The results achieved can augment knowledge on the usability of QFD in safety research, providing a basis for its application for further studies.

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“…The typical remedy prescribed to the mining industry, with regards to developing technology that improves the work environment, is the active participation of the workforce in the design of new technology (Horberry et al 2011(Horberry et al , 2018(Horberry et al , 2016Horberry and Burgess-Limerick 2015). Again, this paper does not claim otherwise but wishes to add to this notion.…”

Section: Technology Development and Implementation As A Processmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding technology in mining and its effect on the work environment

Lööw

2021

Miner Econ

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This paper takes its starting point in the fact that many mines have managed to improve its work environment, with regards to, for example, accident occurrence, while at the same time having stopped seeing improvements in these areas even in the wake of technology interventions. Technology projects in the mining industry continue to make claims on further improvements to the work environment, and make wider claims still, but have not addressed underlying causes that lead to underperformance of technology in terms of work environment improvements. This paper suggests that when we look closer at the situation, we find a complex situation in which negative and positive effects on the work environment follow the implementation of new technology. The analysis conducted in the paper further suggests that this has to do with mining environments having reached a level where historically major risks have been addressed; remaining risks, which are still significant, are of such a nature that their singular treatment — attempting to address these risks through isolated action such as new technology — engenders risks elsewhere. At the same time, the mining industry is of such a character that technological sophistications will fail to ultimately address the fundamental underlying causes of technology’s underperformance; technology by itself will never be enough. In part, this is due to constraints stemming from the characteristics of the mining industry, resulting in lower and slower technological progress for instance. The paper, thus, proposes a shift in focus with regards to technology, from technology itself to the processes surrounding the development, implementation, and use of technology in the mining industry. The paper, then, outlines some requirements for such a process.

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Applying a Human-Centred Process to Re-Design Equipment and Work Environments

Cited by 7 publications

References 9 publications

Preliminary Human Safety Assessment (PHSA) for the Improvement of the Behavioral Aspects of Safety Climate in the Construction Industry

Preliminary Human Safety Assessment (PHSA) for the Improvement of the Behavioral Aspects of Safety Climate in the Construction Industry

Hazard function deployment: a QFD-based tool for the assessment of working tasks – a practical study in the construction industry

Understanding technology in mining and its effect on the work environment

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