Title
Advancing a sociotechnical systems approach to workplace safety - developing the conceptual framework
Abbreviated Journal Title
Ergonomics
Keywords
complexity; sociotechnical system; system interactions; workplace; safety; system levels; PATIENT SAFETY; ERGONOMICS; DESIGN; WORK; MANAGEMENT; CULTURE; CLIMATE; ISSUES; MACROERGONOMICS; IMPLEMENTATION; Engineering, Industrial; Ergonomics; Psychology, Applied; Psychology
Abstract
Practitioner Summary: Understanding the environmental, organisational and work system factors that contribute to workplace safety will help to develop more effective and integrated solutions to deal with persistent workplace safety problems. Solutions to improve workplace safety need to recognise the broad sociotechnical system and the respective interactions between the system elements and levels. Traditional efforts to deal with the enormous problem of workplace safety have proved insufficient, as they have tended to neglect the broader sociotechnical environment that surrounds workers. Here, we advocate a sociotechnical systems approach that describes the complex multi-level system factors that contribute to workplace safety. From the literature on sociotechnical systems, complex systems and safety, we develop a sociotechnical model of workplace safety with concentric layers of the work system, socio-organisational context and the external environment. The future challenges that are identified through the model are highlighted.
Journal Title
Ergonomics
Volume
58
Issue/Number
4
Publication Date
1-1-2015
Document Type
Article
Language
English
First Page
548
Last Page
564
WOS Identifier
ISSN
0014-0139
Recommended Citation
"Advancing a sociotechnical systems approach to workplace safety - developing the conceptual framework" (2015). Faculty Bibliography 2010s. 6448.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/facultybib2010/6448
Comments
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