Organizational learning and safety in design: experiences from German industry

Abstract

Learning from the occurrence of accidents and incidents is essential to improving safety in organizations and their operational processes. It is a process of increasing the capacity for effective organizational action through the construction of knowledge and its embodiment in the practices of the organization. This paper examines how accidents and incidents are analyzed in companies handling high‐hazard activities in the province of Nordrhein‐Westfalia, Germany, and what changes are made to support effective organizational learning. The results suggest that there is limited communication flow between the stakeholders – design, operations, production and safety management – who are responsible for safe system operation. The consequence of which appears to be a reliance of these organizations on local changes to practices, rather than change in either equipment design or workplace layout.