Safety Research and Practice: Islands in a Common Sea

This talk considers the characteristics of safety research and practice, and the interaction between the two. As a fundamental human value, subject to laws, regulations and standards, one might expect considerable interest in the research-practice relationship in safety, and by extension, in human factors. There is, however, very little research that directly addresses the topic. Findings from related fields, and the little research on the relationship within safety, indicates that research and practice are rather separate – islands in a common sea. This talk considers safety and practice via an experiential account of the author’s work in safety research and practice, including contact with researchers and practitioners, based on over 20 years of experience in a range of industries, contexts, and countries. Safety research and practice is considered using a framework of people, activities, contexts and tools. From this analysis, several conclusions are drawn for research and practice in education, experience, values, interests, and perspectives. Challenges for the alignment of research and practice are outlined, along with possibilities for researchers and practitioners that, if implemented by individuals and organisations, could improve the current situation. A chapter to accompany the talk can be found in 'Safety Science Research: Evolution, Challenges and New Directions' (Edited by Jean-Christophe Le Coze) and 'Human Factors and Ergonomics in Practice: Improving System Performance and Human Wellbeing in the Real World' (Edited by Steven Shorrock and Claire Williams).

Transcript

1. Supporting European Aviation Safety Research and Safety Practice: Islands in a Common Sea Dr Steven Shorrock EUROCONTROL Network Manager Safety Senior Expert Safety & Human Factors 28 Aug 2019 | African Symposium on Human Factors and Aviation Safety | Ergonomics Society of South Africa conference | Durban, South Africa
2. 2 Safety Research and Safety Practice | @stevenshorrock | speakerdeck.com/stevenshorrock
3. Safety Research and Safety Practice | @stevenshorrock | speakerdeck.com/stevenshorrock 3
4. Safety Value Feeling Activity Artefact Laws Regulations Standards Institutions 4 Safety Research and Safety Practice | @stevenshorrock | speakerdeck.com/stevenshorrock
5. 5 Research Practice Safety Research and Safety Practice | @stevenshorrock | speakerdeck.com/stevenshorrock
6. Reviews and empirical studies • Health and social care • Library and information science • Human resources • Industrial, work and organisational psychology • Human factors and ergonomics 6 Safety Research and Safety Practice | @stevenshorrock | speakerdeck.com/stevenshorrock
7. Reviews and empirical studies 1. Published research has a university bias 2. Published research has limited relevance to practitioners 3. There is a tension and disconnect between research and practice communities 4. Practitioners lack access to and awareness of research and do not integrate it into practice 7 Safety Research and Safety Practice | @stevenshorrock | speakerdeck.com/stevenshorrock
8. enter your presentation title 8 ‘If we consider practitioners as the customer and research as the product, most research journals would go the way of New Coke’ (Blanton, 2000) Safety Research and Safety Practice | @stevenshorrock | speakerdeck.com/stevenshorrock
9. 9 ü Most authors affiliated with universities & research organisations ü Most papers authored exclusively by researchers ü Most papers are paywalled (accessible to researchers) Safety Research and Safety Practice | @stevenshorrock | speakerdeck.com/stevenshorrock
10. Research and Practice in Safety “the majority of practitioners remain unaware of the most frequently cited systemic analysis models” Underwood and Waterson (2013) “academic propositions might have not yet affected practice dramatically” Karanikas (2015b) “use more complex and sophisticated scientific theories and notions” Stoop and Dekker (2012) 10 Safety Research and Safety Practice | @stevenshorrock | speakerdeck.com/stevenshorrock
11. Safety investigator competencies ü Empathy ü Imagination ü Working to (regulatory) standards ü Effective writing skills (Nixon and Braithwaite, 2018) 11 ✘ Reading, discussing or integrating research into practice Safety Research and Safety Practice | @stevenshorrock | speakerdeck.com/stevenshorrock
12. 12 Safety Research and Safety Practice | @stevenshorrock | speakerdeck.com/stevenshorrock
13. Researchers & Practitioners: PACT Analysis • People: backgrounds and aspirations • Activities: activities and demands, including reading material • Context: goals, values, pressures, incentives, resources, constraints and environments • Tools: to perform activities (including what is valued in tools) 13 Safety Research and Safety Practice | @stevenshorrock | speakerdeck.com/stevenshorrock
14. Five Research-Practice Challenges 1. Research does not address practitioners’ day-to-day difficulties, dilemmas, concerns and needs 2. Research and practice outputs are not consistently accessible 3. There is too much research 4. Lack of time and inclination to read the products of each other’s work 5. Practitioners and researchers spend little time together, especially on collaborative activities 14 Safety Research and Safety Practice | @stevenshorrock | speakerdeck.com/stevenshorrock
15. Collaborate Collaborate at all stages to research on what matters in practice and in a way that will make a difference to practice 1. More contact and communication 2. Focus on real world safety problems and opportunities and the needs of safety practitioners 3. More industry experience for researchers 4. Increase practitioner participation in research 15 Safety Research and Safety Practice | @stevenshorrock | speakerdeck.com/stevenshorrock
16. Adapt Make research products more practice-focussed 1. Make research freely accessible and widely promoted 2. Report in a more understandable, clear and readable manner 3. Make implications clear 16 Safety Research and Safety Practice | @stevenshorrock | speakerdeck.com/stevenshorrock
17. Read Incorporate more reading and awareness of current research into practice 1. Incorporate reading research into development plans 2. Build literature-reviewing into project planning time 3. Hold discussion groups based on key articles or methods 4. Changing work practices based on research findings 17 Safety Research and Safety Practice | @stevenshorrock | speakerdeck.com/stevenshorrock
18. Write Translate research for practitioners and others, and write about practice 1. Develop research translation expertise 2. More practitioner research and publication 18 Safety Research and Safety Practice | @stevenshorrock | speakerdeck.com/stevenshorrock www.hfeinpractice.wordpress.com
19. Final points… • Control over these possibilities lies with individuals and institutions • Research is just one influence on ‘the craft of practice’ • We are yet to understand the day-to-day practice of safety practitioners, nor their needs from safety research • Research without practice is an ethical problem in safety 19 Safety Research and Safety Practice | @stevenshorrock | speakerdeck.com/stevenshorrock
20. or www.bit.ly/HindSightMagazine steve.shorrock@gmail.com @stevenshorrock Download Free at SKYbrary.aero