Skip to main content
View expanded cover

International Conference on Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics

AHFE 2019: Advances in Human Error, Reliability, Resilience, and Performance pp 3–12Cite as

Investigating Collective Mindfulness in Mining: A Prospective Study in High-Reliability Organizations

Part of the Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing book series (AISC,volume 956)

Abstract

Mining is an important contributor to the social and economic fabric of our society. However, it continues to be regarded as one of the most dangerous industries. Compared to manufacturing, mining is more complex, which can pose additional challenges for mining and safety managers in terms of achieving sustainable safety outcomes. More advanced approaches are required. This paper first discusses the state of mining safety in Australia, followed by an examination of some of the complexities that characterizes the industry. It then introduces High-reliability organizations and Collective mindfulness as an advanced organizational safety management strategy that can be used to achieve sustainable safety improvement. A pragmatist research framework and two organizational theories follow this, which can be used to inform further research in these fields. The paper concludes with a research proposition which can be used to empirically investigate these concepts in mining organizations.

Keywords

  • High-reliability organizations
  • Collective mindfulness
  • Socio-technical system
  • Social construction of safety
  • Organizational safety management
  • Mining safety

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-20037-4_1
  • Chapter length: 10 pages
  • Instant PDF download
  • Readable on all devices
  • Own it forever
  • Exclusive offer for individuals only
  • Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout
eBook
USD   149.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • ISBN: 978-3-030-20037-4
  • Instant PDF download
  • Readable on all devices
  • Own it forever
  • Exclusive offer for individuals only
  • Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout
Softcover Book
USD   199.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
Learn about institutional subscriptions
Fig. 1.
Fig. 2.

adapted from Pillay and Borys [37].

References

  1. Minerals Council of Australia. http://www.minerals.org.au/corporate/about_the_minerals_industry

  2. Australian Bureau of Statistics (ed.): Mining Operations, Australia 2013–2014. Australian Bureau of Statistics, Canberra (2015)

    Google Scholar 

  3. Pillay, M., Tuck, M.: Permit-to-work systems as a health and safety risk control strategy in mining: a prospective study in resilience engineering. In: AHFE 2017 International Conference on Human Error, Reliability, Resilience, and Performance, 17–21 July, pp. 145–154. Springer, Heidelberg (2017)

    Google Scholar 

  4. Nyoni, W., Pillay, M., Jefferies, M.J., Rubin, M.: Organizational factors, residual risk management and accident causation in the mining industry: a systematic literature review. In: Arezes, P. (ed.) Advances in Safety Management and Human Factors, vol. 791, pp. 14–23. Springer, Cham (2018)

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  5. Pillay, M.: Disasters, accidents and safety: a review of theory and applications for advancing mine safety management. In: Foster, P. (ed.) 35th International Conference of Safety in Mines Research Institutes (ICSMRI 2013), pp. 367–376. IOM Communications Ltd., London (2013)

    Google Scholar 

  6. Cliff, D.: Ensuring health and safety through the entire mining cycle. AUSIMM Bull. 3, 68–71 (2016)

    Google Scholar 

  7. Pillay, M.: Accident causation, prevention and safety management: a review of the state-of-the-art. Procedia Manuf. 3, 1838–1845 (2015)

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  8. Komljenovic, D., George, L., Mustafa, K.: Organization: a new focus on mine safety improvement in a complex operational environment. Int. J. Min. Sci. Technol. 27, 617–625 (2017)

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  9. Hopkins, A.: Learning From High Reliability Organisations. CCH Australia Limited, Sydney (2009)

    Google Scholar 

  10. Rochlin, G.I., La Porte, T.R.: The self-designing high-reliability organization: aircraft carrier flight operations at sea. Naval War Coll. Rev. 40, 76–90 (1987)

    Google Scholar 

  11. Roberts, K.H.: Some characteristics of one type of high reliability organization. Organ. Sci. 1, 160–176 (1990)

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  12. La Porte, T.R.: A Strawman speaks up: comments on the limits of safety. J. Contingencies Crisis Manag. 2, 207–212 (1994)

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  13. Rochlin, G.I.: Safe operation as a social construct. Ergonomics 42, 1549–1560 (1999)

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  14. Roberts, K.H.: Managing high reliability organizations. Calif. Manag. Rev. 32, 101–113 (1990)

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  15. Weick, K.E.: Organizational culture as a source of high reliability. Calif. Manag. Rev. 29, 112–127 (1987)

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  16. Pillay, M., Tuck, M.: Safety culture and high reliability organizations: convergent approaches for smarter mine safety management. In: SME 2019 Annual Conference and Convention. Society for Mining Engineering (2019)

    Google Scholar 

  17. Enya, A., Dempsey, S., Pillay, M.: High reliability organisation principles of collective mindfulness: an opportunity to improve construction safety management. In: Azeres, P. (ed.) Advances in Safety Management and Human Factors, vol. 791, pp. 3–13. Springer, Cham (2018)

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  18. Weick, K.E., Sutcliffe, K.H., Obstfeld, D.: Organizing for high reliability: process of collective mindfulness. In: Boin, A. (ed.) Crisis Management, vol. III, pp. 31–66. Sage, Los Angeles (1999)

    Google Scholar 

  19. Klockner, K.: Strategically developing a resilient safety culture: organizational mindfulness and mindful organizing. In: AHFE 2017 International Conference on Safety Management and Human Factors, The Westin Bonaventure Hotel, Los Angeles, California, USA, 17–21 July 2017, pp. 111–121. Springer, Heidelberg (2017)

    Google Scholar 

  20. Vogus, T.J.: Mindful organizing: establishing and extending the foundations of highly reliable performance. In: Cameron, K., Spreitzer, G.M. (eds.) The Oxford Handbook of Positive Organizational Scholarship, pp. 664–676. Oxford University Press, Oxford (2011)

    Google Scholar 

  21. Reason, J.: Safety paradoxes and safety culture. Int. J. Inj. Control Saf. Promot. 7, 3–14 (2000)

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  22. Boin, A., Schulman, P.: Assessing NASA’s safety culture: the limits and possibilities of high-reliability theory. Publ. Adm. Rev. 68, 1050–1061 (2008)

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  23. Zohar, D.: Safety climate in industrial organizations: theoretical and applied implications. J. Appl. Psychol. 65, 96–102 (1980)

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  24. Froko, I.U.-F., Maxwell, A., Kingsley, N.: The impact of safety climate on safety performance in a gold mining company in Ghana. Int. J. Manag. Excellence 5, 556–566 (2015)

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  25. Parker, A.W., Tones, M.J., Ritchie, G.E.: Development of a multilevel health and safety climate survey tool within a mining setting. J. Saf. Res. 62, 173–180 (2017)

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  26. Aase, K., Skjerve, A.B., Rosness, R.: Why good luck has a reason: mindful practices in offshore oil and gas drilling. In: 6th International Conference on Organizational Learning and Knowledge, pp. 193–208. University of Trento (2005)

    Google Scholar 

  27. Dahl, Ø., Kongsvik, T.: Safety climate and mindful safety practices in the oil and gas industry. J. Saf. Res. 64, 29–36 (2018)

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  28. Pillay, M.: Exploring resilience engineering through the prescription and practice of safe work method statements in the Victorian Construction industry, pp. 339. School of Health Sciences, Doctor of Philosophy, University of Ballarat, Mount Helen, Australia (2013)

    Google Scholar 

  29. Klockner, K., Pillay, M.: Theorizing and theory building in the safety sciences: a reflective inquiry. Saf. Sci. 117, 250–256 (accepted). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2019.04.023

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  30. Pillay, M.: A pragmatist framework for revising higher education curriculum in occupational health and safety. In: Chova, L.G., Martínez, A.L., Torres, I.C. (eds.) 11th International Conference on Education, Research And Innovation (ICERI), pp. 6763–6770. International Academy of Technology, Education and Development (IATED) Academy, Seville, Spain (2018)

    Google Scholar 

  31. Shields, P.M.: Pragmatism as a philosophy of science: a tool for public administration. Res. Publ. Adm. 4, 195–225 (1998)

    Google Scholar 

  32. Creswell, J.W.: Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative and Mixed Methods Approaches. Sage Publications Inc., Thousand Oaks (2009)

    Google Scholar 

  33. Korte, R., Mercurio, Z.A.: Pragmatism and human resource development. Hum. Resour. Dev. Rev. 16, 60–84 (2017)

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  34. Schneider, M., Somers, M.: Organizations as complex adaptive systems: implications of complexity theory for leadership research. Leadesrh. Q. 17, 351–365 (2006)

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  35. Cowley, S., Borys, D.: Stretching but not too far: understanding adaptive behaviour using a model of oganisational elasticity. J. Health Saf. Res. Pract. 6, 18–22 (2014)

    Google Scholar 

  36. Rasmussen, J., Svedung, I.: Proactive risk Management in a Dynamic Society. Swedish Rescue Services Agency, Karlstand (2000)

    Google Scholar 

  37. Pillay, M., Borys, D.: Towards an exploration of safe work method statements as a safety management strategy in construction: background and theory. In: Seventh International Conference on Construction in the 21st Century (CITC-VII). (2013)

    Google Scholar 

  38. Cook, R., Rasmussen, J.: “Going solid”: a model of system dynamics and consequences for patient safety. Qual. Saf. Health Care 14, 130–134 (2005)

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  39. Wildavsky, A.: Searching for Safety. Transaction Books, New Brunswick (1988)

    Google Scholar 

  40. Gherardi, S., Nicolini, D.: Learning in a constellation of interconnected practices. J. Manag. Stud. 39, 419–436 (2002)

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  41. Cook, R.I., O’Connor, M., Render, M.L., Woods, D.D.: Operating at the sharp end: the Human factors of complex technical work and its implication for patient safety. In: Manuel, B.M., Nora, P.F. (eds.) Surgical Patient Safety: Essential Information for Surgeons in Today’s Environment, pp. 19–30. American College of Surgeons, Chicago (2004)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Health Sciences, Centre for Resources Health and Safety, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, Australia

    Manikam Pillay

  2. School of Science, Engineering and Information Technology, Federation University, Ballarat, Australia

    Michael Tuck

  3. School of Human, Health and Social Sciences, CQUniversity, Brisbane, Australia

    Karen Klockner

Authors
  1. Manikam Pillay
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Michael Tuck
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Karen Klockner
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Manikam Pillay .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, ID, USA

    Prof. Ronald L. Boring

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this paper

Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this paper

Pillay, M., Tuck, M., Klockner, K. (2020). Investigating Collective Mindfulness in Mining: A Prospective Study in High-Reliability Organizations. In: Boring, R. (eds) Advances in Human Error, Reliability, Resilience, and Performance. AHFE 2019. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, vol 956. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-20037-4_1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-20037-4_1

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-20036-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-20037-4

  • eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)