"Decision-critical" work: a conceptual framework. Issue 1 (December 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Fan, Xiangning; Els, Charl; Corbet, Kenneth; Straube, Sebastian
• Is Part Of: Journal of occupational medicine and toxicology. Volume 11:Issue 1(2016)
• Page Start: 1
• Page End: 6
• Publication Date: 2016-12
• Subjects: Decision-critical work -- Safety-sensitive work -- Fitness to work -- Accidents -- Occupational safety; Medicine, Industrial -- Periodicals; Occupational diseases -- Periodicals; 616.980305
• DOI: 10.1186/s12995-016-0115-8
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1745-6673

Abstract

Abstract "Safety-sensitive" workers, also termed "safety-critical" workers, have been subject to fitness to work assessments due to concerns that a performance error may result in worker injury, injury to coworkers or the general public, and/or disruption of equipment, production or the environment. However, there exists an additional category of "decision-critical" workers, distinct from "safety-sensitive" workers, in whom impairment may impact workplace performance, relationships, attendance, reliability and quality. Adverse consequences in these latter areas may not be immediately apparent, but a potential "orbit of harm" nevertheless exists. Workplace consequences arising from impairment in "decision-critical" workers differ from those in "safety-sensitive" personnel. Despite their importance in the occupational context, "decision-critical" workers have not previously been differentiated from other workers in the published literature, and we now outline an approach to fitness to work assessment in this group.