Summary

This book presents a treatment of safety management based on an understanding of the whole context of the 'system' of which everything concerned with the work environment and culture are comprised. It is an appreciation of these systems, and of their components, both human and technological, which is vital to an effective approach to the management of safety within those systems. General systems theory has been applied to the psychology and management of health and safety for many years, but the level of sophistication and understanding inherent in such applications has been poor, and not supported by practical applications. Furthermore, recent developments in systems thinking are not well represented in such practical applications, and it is these issues amongst others which are addressed here, with particular attention paid to the issue of safety culture. The book is divided into three sections, which provide a background and treatments of both the psychology of safety and of safety management. Included are also appendices containing part of a unique Safety Management Systems (SMS) Audit developed by one of the authors. Intertwining the authors' approach, and its systems theory framework, is a belief in the need to integrate the design and management of safety hardware with the management of people; this need is reflected in the book's content Both authors are based at centres of excellence in their respective disciplines, giving them access to the latest research both academic and applied, and making this the authoritative work in its field.