Human and Organizational Factors Contribution to the Occurrence of Major Accidents Using Offshore Accidents as a Case Study

Abstract

Human and organizational factors (HOFs) are important causes of accidents. As the design of technological equipment becomes more and more safe, the causes of accidents are more likely to be attributed to HOFs. The offshore drilling is, for instance, controlled by safety barriers that are dominantly dependent on HOFs. In a dynamic and volatile environment, every organization goes through a drifting process where the kind of logic of action taken depends on the contextual and temporal factors, the tightness of the coupling, and the complexity of the situation. The drifting process both affects and is affected by the management structure, the communication systems, the kinds of competence possessed, external pressures, and whether it is possible to comply with organizational procedures and whether these procedures are in accordance with regulatory requirements. These areas are important to examine to improve understanding of contribution of HOFs in major accidents. The knowledge and detail understanding of the contribution of HOFs to the offshore accidents provides new insights as well as practical guidelines for how to understand, assess and manage (potential) hazards and unforeseen surprises in a practical operational setting.

Keywords: Human and organizational factors, major accidents, mindfulness, risk, safety

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe100158