Mental causal models of incidents communicated in licensee event reports in a process industry

Summary, in English

The present investigation describes some mental causal models used in incident reports. Some of the models (e.g., single-cause models) are simpler than others (e.g., causal-tree models). The models are also associated with different ways of explaining an incident or accident and with different recommendations for increasing the safety of a system.

In study 1, incident reports from Swedish nuclear power plants known to use human or organisational factors were analysed. The analysis showed that the most frequent model was a simple single-cause model and that the remainder were usually two-step models leading to a reported event. Multiple cause and more complex models were less frequent.

Study 2 analysed all licensee event reports (including those reports not related to human organisational factors) from four reactors assessed by regulators during the year. The results showed that single-cause and two-step accident models were more frequent than more complex models. The analyses also revealed that different detection modes were related to different models.

• Författare: Ilkka Salo; O Svenson
• Avdelning/ar: Institutionen för psykologi
• Publiceringsår: 2003
• Språk: Engelska
• Sidor: 211-217
• Publikation/Tidskrift/Serie: Cognition, Technology & Work
• Volym: 5
• Issue: 3
• Länkar: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10111-003-0121-3
• Dokumenttyp: Artikel i tidskrift
• Förlag: Springer
• Ämne: Psychology
• Nyckelord: Accident; Incident; Nuclear power; Process industry; Risk analysis
• Status: Published
• ISBN/ISSN/Övrigt: ISSN: 1435-5566