Most recent thinking on safety is based on ideas generally known as human and organizational performance—where it is assumed workers will make errors and the emphasis is on the work environment and processes to prevent severe injuries—rather than on disciplining workers who violate safety rules. This change is great news for workers and safety in general.
But it isn’t going to be easy to change the construction industry, which could remain stuck with older ideas centered on strict discipline, termination for safety violations and preoccupation with lowering recordable injury rates. Balancing the new approach with the old could turn out to be a delicate art. We have some ideas about how these new ideas on safety can be blended with the existing systems. But first we ought to assess the challenge.