Books
The Law of Stretched Systems
Behind Human Error
Woods, David D.; Dekker, Sidney; Cook, Richard; Johannesen, Leila; Sarter, Nadine. Farnham, Surrey, England and Burlington, Vermont, U.S. Second edition, 2010. 271 pp. Figures, tables, references, index.
Most scientific and academic studies begin with a definition of the subject or problem. It’s only logical for researchers to agree first on precisely what is being studied. But this book’s authors say that defining human error is not only pointless but impossible.
“The search for definitions and taxonomies of error is not the first step on the journey toward safety; it is not even a useful step, only a dead end,” according to the authors.
“Each organization or industry feels that their progress on safety depends on having a firm definition of human error,” they say. “Each group seems to believe that such a definition will enable creation of a scorecard that will allow the…
