A Delphi study of human factors methods for the evaluation of adaptation in safety-related organisations
A Delphi study of human factors methods for the evaluation of adaptation in safety-related organisations
Advances in safety science point towards an approach to the management of safety-related risks within complex sociotechnical systems that focuses on the understanding of adaptation. The study of adaptation would benefit from the use of structured and formalised approaches at, and across, all levels of the organisational hierarchy (individual, team and organisation). However, with a large number of potential Human Factors methods available to the safety practitioner, it is unclear which methods are most appropriate for an exploration of this important tenet of systems thinking. A 3-round ranking Delphi study has been conducted to survey the range of methods to determine a soft consensus amongst subject matter experts. In each of the three rounds the list was successively refined. Cognitive Work Analysis (CWA) and Critical Decision Method (CDM) methods were recommended for the micro level (which could be complemented by HTA). At the meso level, CDM and CWA together with complementary methods, such as Systems Theoretic Accident Modelling and Processes (STAMP), Functional Resonance Analysis Method (FRAM) and the Event Analysis for Systemic Teamwork (EAST) method. STAMP and FRAM were recommended at the macro level, which could be complemented with Hierarchical Task Analysis (HTA), Ethnographic Analysis, EAST and the Human Factors Analysis and Classification System (HFACS). The methods, taken together, should provide a means of exploring adaptation at all of the sociotechnical system levels. This work provides safety practitioners with consolidated guidance on the methods that could be used to explore adaptation as a source of safety in complex sociotechnical systems.
adaptation, delphi approach, human factors methods, safety
Foster, Craig James
5559934e-d31a-4187-8bc1-bf7f39ddf4f4
Plant, Katherine
3638555a-f2ca-4539-962c-422686518a78
Stanton, Neville
351a44ab-09a0-422a-a738-01df1fe0fadd
November 2020
Foster, Craig James
5559934e-d31a-4187-8bc1-bf7f39ddf4f4
Plant, Katherine
3638555a-f2ca-4539-962c-422686518a78
Stanton, Neville
351a44ab-09a0-422a-a738-01df1fe0fadd
Foster, Craig James, Plant, Katherine and Stanton, Neville
(2020)
A Delphi study of human factors methods for the evaluation of adaptation in safety-related organisations.
Safety Science, 131, [104933].
(doi:10.1016/j.ssci.2020.104933).
Abstract
Advances in safety science point towards an approach to the management of safety-related risks within complex sociotechnical systems that focuses on the understanding of adaptation. The study of adaptation would benefit from the use of structured and formalised approaches at, and across, all levels of the organisational hierarchy (individual, team and organisation). However, with a large number of potential Human Factors methods available to the safety practitioner, it is unclear which methods are most appropriate for an exploration of this important tenet of systems thinking. A 3-round ranking Delphi study has been conducted to survey the range of methods to determine a soft consensus amongst subject matter experts. In each of the three rounds the list was successively refined. Cognitive Work Analysis (CWA) and Critical Decision Method (CDM) methods were recommended for the micro level (which could be complemented by HTA). At the meso level, CDM and CWA together with complementary methods, such as Systems Theoretic Accident Modelling and Processes (STAMP), Functional Resonance Analysis Method (FRAM) and the Event Analysis for Systemic Teamwork (EAST) method. STAMP and FRAM were recommended at the macro level, which could be complemented with Hierarchical Task Analysis (HTA), Ethnographic Analysis, EAST and the Human Factors Analysis and Classification System (HFACS). The methods, taken together, should provide a means of exploring adaptation at all of the sociotechnical system levels. This work provides safety practitioners with consolidated guidance on the methods that could be used to explore adaptation as a source of safety in complex sociotechnical systems.
Text
Methods Review paper vG - SafetyScience 2nd revisions
- Accepted Manuscript
More information
Accepted/In Press date: 24 July 2020
e-pub ahead of print date: 13 August 2020
Published date: November 2020
Additional Information:
Funding Information:
This work is part-funded by NATS and the authors are grateful for the participation of the academic and industrial experts who provided responses for the Delphi survey.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Elsevier Ltd
Keywords:
adaptation, delphi approach, human factors methods, safety
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 443407
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/443407
ISSN: 0925-7535
PURE UUID: c72567b3-62b5-46b6-89cf-000356fededa
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Date deposited: 24 Aug 2020 16:34
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 05:49
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Author:
Craig James Foster
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