About the Author
Steven Shorrock is an interdisciplinary humanistic, systems and design practitioner interested in human work from multiple perspectives.
Chartered Psychologist (CPsychol) & Chartered Ergonomist and Human Factors Specialist (CErgHF)
Tag Archives: safety
Learning About Aviation Work in a Pandemic
Everyday work in aviation COVID-19 pandemic has been affected almost beyond recognition, and with it how we feel about work and the future. So what might we learn about work from the perspectives of two front-line professions: air traffic controllers and professional pilots? Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Human Factors/Ergonomics, Mental Health, Safety
Tagged aviation, COVID-19, learning, Mental Health, safety, work, work-as-done
What Human Factors isn’t: 4. A Cause of Accidents
‘Human Factors’ (or Ergonomics) is often presented as something that it’s not, or as something that is only a small part of the whole. Rather than just explain what Human Factors is, in this sporadic series of short posts I … Continue reading
Posted in Human Factors/Ergonomics
Tagged accidents, causation, human factors, myths, root cause, safety, safety-I, safety-II
System Safety: Seven Foes of Intervention
In this short series, I highlight seven foes and seven friends of system safety, both for explanation and intervention. Each is a concept, meme, or device used in thinking, language, and intervention (reinforced by more fundamental foes that act as barriers to thinking). They are not the only foes or friends, of course, but they are significant ones that either crop up regularly in discussions and writings about safety, or else – in the case of friends – should do.
In this post, I outline seven foes of intervention. Continue reading
System Safety: Seven Foes of Explanation
In this short series, I will highlight seven foes and seven friends of system safety, both for explanation and intervention. Each is a concept, meme, or device used in thinking, language, and intervention (reinforced by more fundamental foes that act as barriers to thinking). They are not the only foes or friends, of course, but they are significant ones that either crop up regularly in discussions and writings about safety, or else – in the case of friends – should do. Continue reading
Learning Teams, Learning from Communities
Learning Teams, Learning from Communities
In this article, I refer to some of the ideas and writings of asset-based community development to reflect on Learning Teams in health and safety, and small group conversations and action more generally in organisations. I highlight four lessons from ABCD for learning teams and host organisations. Continue reading
Posted in Humanistic Psychology, Safety, Systems Thinking
Tagged ABCD, community, health and safety, learning, safety, safety culture, safety management, safety-II, Systems Thinking, teams, teamwork
The Commercialisation and Commodification of Competency
Two or three years ago, I undertook a course involving UX ‘certification’. I had already undertaken courses in HCI and design as part of an MSc(Eng) in Work Design and Ergonomics some years (ahem…21) earlier. And I had already been … Continue reading
Posted in Human Factors/Ergonomics, Safety, Systems Thinking
Tagged certification, commercialisation, competence, competency, experience, qualification, safety, ux
The Real Focus of Safety-II
Safety-II has become a talking point. It is discussed not only among safety professionals, but – perhaps more importantly – among front line practitioners, managers, board members and regulators in a wide array of industries. Its practical and inclusive focus … Continue reading
Human Factors at the Fringe: BaseCamp
A legendary rivalry: one mountain and two climbers seeking to be the best. We join them at basecamp as they prepare for the challenges of the ascent. Invited into separate tents to join just one of the two climbers, audiences … Continue reading
The Safety-II Dance: A Podcast by Greater Than Code
A few weeks ago, I had a chat with Jamey Hampton, Jessica Kerr, John K. Sawers of Greater Than Code. Here is the podcast that resulted, expertly produced by Mandy Moore. In the podcast, we roamed around topics of human factors/ergonomics, system performance … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Human Factors/Ergonomics, Safety
Tagged ABCD, culture, empathy, ergonomics, human factors, safety, safety-II, WebOps
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The Loneliest Profession in Healthcare
You’d expect that Human Factors/Ergonomics would be very relevant to the NHS. But is it actually integrated? Continue reading
Posted in Human Factors/Ergonomics, Safety
Tagged design, ergonomics, healthcare, human factors, practice, profession, safety
