Choosing between organisational & technical safety: a practical approach for industry

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.

Safety of the process industries in the 21st century: A changing need of process safety management for a changing industry

“…Van der Elzen discusses whether existing methods like the Tripod Delta as described by Hudson et al (1994), are covering all basic risk factors and as such represent an 'all covering method'. Gort et al (2004) propose a mix of methods of which Tripod Delta is one which investigates the team spirit of a crew, OHSAS 18001 is another one looking whether procedures and a safety management system are present, while finally a Safety Culture Quick Scan examines management attitude to safety and how this percolates down in the organization. Others prefer to survey the more temporal 'safety climate' representing the attitude towards safety by management (the supervisor) as perceived by the worker, as more indicative, see e.g.…”