Citation

Stemn E, Hassall ME, Bofinger C. Safety Sci. 2020; 127: e104735.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.ssci.2020.104735

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The literature on learning from incidents indicates that there is more focus on the initial stage of incident analysis to identify causes and less focus on the latter stages associated with implementing improvements. To improve safety, it is important to develop and implement remedial measures that better address the causes and consequences of incidents. This study focused on the planning and implementation of remedial measures after incident analysis. Thirty-five safety professionals involved in developing and implementing remedial measures from incident investigations at four large-scale gold mines in Ghana were interviewed using the critical incident technique. The nature of past remedial measures was studied, as well as understanding the current process of planning and implementing remedial measures.

RESULTS showed that remedial measures most frequently targeted human behaviour, and the majority of recommendations were focused at the lowest levels of the organisation. Moreover, investigators relied on their personal experiences when planning remedial measures, instead of following a formal analytical process. Several factors influencing successful implementations of recommendations were also identified. The lack of a formal analytical process to guide the planning and implementation of remedial measures led to the development of a remedial measure management process (RMMP) to structure the identification and implementation of better remedial measures following an accident. Although the proposed process fits the thinking of safety professionals, it is yet to be tested, and therefore, further research is required to determine its application, effectiveness and usefulness.

Language: en

Keywords

PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) cycle; Remedial measure management process; Risk control; Risk governance; SMART (Specific-Measureable-Attainable-Relevant-Time-bound) Criteria