Learning from Incidents: an industry academia partnership

This week we started a new research study on 'Learning from Incidents' in partnership with Shell, ConocoPhilips and BP. The aim of our study is to develop new approaches to learning that will reduce incidents affecting health and safety in the workplace. This industry-academia partnership involves a 3 year PhD Fellowship funded by the UK Energy Institute.

Allison Littlejohn and Anoush Margaryan of the Caledonian Academy along with John Holmes, Shell Exploration and Production Health and Safety Executive Systems and Planning Leader, based in Houston, Texas and Peter Jefferies from ConocoPhillips Humber Refinery will co-supervise the study. Dane Lukic has joined our team as a PhD Fellow. Dane is originally from Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Learning from Incidents aims to help the industrial partners embed new approaches to learning and reducing critical incidents within the workplace. Adopting a culture of continuous learning employees at all levels will become more self-reliant, scanning their environment, looking for improvements, sharing new ideas and applying safe practices. The study is based on a ‘Change Lab’ methodology which supports participatory redesign of work practices. Researchers will collaborate with workers and managers in Shell, ConnocoPhillips and BP to surface and critically analyze hazardous practices and jointly develop solutions to transform the work practices.