Choosing between organisational & technical safety : a practical approach for industry

For several years it has been tried to make a connection between organisational and technical safety. Researchers have successfully integrated human factors components in accident investigation tools or have developed an elaborate model in which organisational and technical elements are coupled together. These approaches are useful for either the organisation that wishes to learn more from accidents or for researchers who are studying connections between two separate worlds of scientific subjects. Management of industries however likes to know firstly its actual safety performance and secondly in what area of safety money should be spent. Neither of the tools mentioned is sufficiently equipped to give these answers. TNO has combined a technical risk assessment with an organisational safety assessment. The result is the use of a combination of instruments, techniques and methods that enforce each other and give a company good insight in what the state of safety management is. The outcomes of the different surveys lead to a solid comparison of technological and organisational measures to be taken and serve as a basis for further decision making