Change Laboratory intervention for promoting learning about causes and prevention of workplace aggressions in a mental health facility.

AIM: To assess a Change Laboratory (CL) intervention concerning the promotion of learning about the causes and prevention of workplace aggression in a Healthcare Service for Drug and Alcohol Users. BACKGROUND: It is estimated that one fourth of all healthcare professionals worldwide have already experienced some kind of workplace violence. In mental health facilities, aggressions have multiple origins, including moments when physical restraint is applied or situations when the patients' demands are not met. This problem is aggravated in facilities known for their practice of imposing disciplinary measures. Several studies have shown the need to reduce disciplinary means, as well as the importance of health service teams and user participation in designing strategies to prevent aggression. DESIGN: This study employed a qualitative approach with an exploratory and descriptive design. An intervention was conducted in a Healthcare Service for Drug and Alcohol Users, in Brazil. The COREQ guidelines were followed for reporting. METHODS: This study is a qualitative analysis of nine sessions of a CL, which was conducted in 2022 with 12 healthcare professionals, mainly women from the nursing staff. RESULTS: These workers identified the main causes of aggression after a historical and empirical analysis of the nature of the work performed and the contradictions inherent within it. They also recognized the need for cooperative teams prepared to recognize potentially aggressive situations beforehand. CONCLUSIONS: This article brings practical contributions by showing a detailed analysis of how the CL intervention method, using the principle of Transformative Agency Double Stimulation, promotes a sequence of learning actions. The method helped participants to systematically understand the causes of the situations that give rise to workplace violence, examining the goal of the activity as something socially and historically constructed. Likewise, this method helped the professionals to collectively build the key components of a potential prevention program against aggression in the workplace.

Origens históricas e organizacionais do desastre da barragem do Córrego do Feijão / Historical and organizational sources of Córrego do Feijão dam disaster

A ocorrência de desastres feitos pelo homem, como as rupturas de barragens de rejeitos de empresas mineradoras, levanta inúmeros questionamentos. É o caso da barragem de Brumadinho, operada pela Vale, que se rompeu em 25 de janeiro de 2019. Pretende-se neste ensaio, apoiados no Modelo de Análise e Prevenção de Acidentes (MAPA), elencar questões que merecem ser consideradas na investigação em profundidade do desastre. Seguindo os quatro eixos do método ­ análise do funcionamento normal, análise de barreiras, análise de mudanças e ampliação conceitual ­, pretende-se buscar entender as dimensões humanas, tecnológicas e organizacionais do desastre. Não parece aceitável investigação que se restrinja às explicações técnicas para a ocorrência da ruptura da barragem. Neste caso, a análise precisa esclarecer os processos de decisão tomada em diversos níveis da empresa que culminaram com a possível normalização de desvios e migração do sistema para acidentes. A influência da empresa sobre os órgãos de controle e fiscalização demonstra a fragilidade do modelo brasileiro de prevenção de desastres.

Man-made disasters, such as tailings dam failures, raise countless questions. Such is the case of the Vale S.A. dam in Brumadinho, which failed on 25 January 2019. Based on the Accident Analysis and Prevention Model (AAPM), in the present essay we raise some issues deserving of consideration in an in-depth analysis of this disaster. Following AAPM four axes ­ analysis of the normal operation, barrier analysis, change analysis and conceptual broadening ­ we sought to contribute to the understanding of the human, technological and organizational dimensions of the disaster. Investigations restricted to technical explanations of the dam failure do not seem to be acceptable. In the present case, analysis should elucidate decision making at several levels of the company management that possibly culminated in normalization of deviance and migration of the system toward accidents. The company's influence on control and overseeing agencies evidences the weaknesses of the Brazilian disaster prevention model.

Historical and organizational sources of Córrego do Feijão dam disaster.

Man-made disasters, such as tailings dam failures, raise countless questions. Such is the case of the Vale S.A. dam in Brumadinho, which failed on 25 January 2019. Based on the Accident Analysis and Prevention Model (AAPM), in the present essay we raise some issues deserving of consideration in an in-depth analysis of this disaster. Following AAPM four axes - analysis of the normal operation, barrier analysis, change analysis and conceptual broadening - we sought to contribute to the understanding of the human, technological and organizational dimensions of the disaster. Investigations restricted to technical explanations of the dam failure do not seem to be acceptable. In the present case, analysis should elucidate decision making at several levels of the company management that possibly culminated in normalization of deviance and migration of the system toward accidents. The company's influence on control and overseeing agencies evidences the weaknesses of the Brazilian disaster prevention model.

A ocorrência de desastres feitos pelo homem, como as rupturas de barragens de rejeitos de empresas mineradoras, levanta inúmeros questionamentos. É o caso da barragem de Brumadinho, operada pela Vale, que se rompeu em 25 de janeiro de 2019. Pretende-se neste ensaio, apoiados no Modelo de Análise e Prevenção de Acidentes (MAPA), elencar questões que merecem ser consideradas na investigação em profundidade do desastre. Seguindo os quatro eixos do método ­ análise do funcionamento normal, análise de barreiras, análise de mudanças e ampliação conceitual ­, pretende-se buscar entender as dimensões humanas, tecnológicas e organizacionais do desastre. Não parece aceitável investigação que se restrinja às explicações técnicas para a ocorrência da ruptura da barragem. Neste caso, a análise precisa esclarecer os processos de decisão tomada em diversos níveis da empresa que culminaram com a possível normalização de desvios e migração do sistema para acidentes. A influência da empresa sobre os órgãos de controle e fiscalização demonstra a fragilidade do modelo brasileiro de prevenção de desastres.

Challenging the immediate causes: A work accident investigation in an oil refinery using organizational analysis.

BACKGROUND: In many companies, investigations of accidents still blame the victims without exploring deeper causes. Those investigations are reactive and have no learning potential. OBJECTIVE: This paper aims to debate the historical organizational aspects of a company whose policy was incubating an accident. METHODS: The empirical data are analyzed as part of a qualitative study of an accident that occurred in an oil refinery in Brazil in 2014. To investigate and analyse this case we used one-to-one and group interviews, participant observation, Collective Analyses of Work and a documentary review. The analysis was conducted on the basis of concepts of the Organizational Analysis of the event and the Model for Analysis and Prevention of Work Accidents. RESULTS: The accident had its origin in the interaction of social and organizational factors, among them being: excessively standardized culture, management tools and outcome indicators that give a false sense of safety, the decision to speed up the project, the change of operator to facilitate this outcome and performance management that encourages getting around the usual barriers. CONCLUSIONS: The superficial accident analysis conducted by the company that ignored human and organizational factors reinforces the traditional safety culture and favors the occurrence of new accidents.

[Surveillance experience in the sugarcane sector: challenges in disrupting the perilous "marathon" of the sugarcane plantations]. / Experiência de vigilância no setor canavieiro: desafios para interromper a "maratona" perigosa dos canaviais.

The sugar-alcohol sector is growing year by year, especially in the state of Sao Paulo where approximately 42.9% of the sugar-ethanol plants are concentrated. The production chain is a subject for concern to public agencies and to civil society by exposing migrant workers to risks arising from the work process. In Sao Paulo, from 2006-2009, Occupational Health Surveillance (VISAT) set up two initiatives to address problems related to the housing and working conditions of sugarcane workers. The objective of this article presented in the form of an essay is to analyze the experiences in their context. The methodology used combines document analysis with the perception of the authors who participated in the actions. The experience led to improvements in these conditions and fostered public debate on the conditions of such physically demanding work. The interventions resulted in a definition of sanitary norms and initiatives at the legislative and judicial level, but even the most successful measures failed to attain the organizational targets, especially a production remuneration structure that challenges the traditional action of surveillance and the impacts were weakened due to the fragility of worker representation for the sector.

[Model of Analysis and Prevention of Accidents - MAPA: tool for operational health surveillance]. / Modelo de Análise e Prevenção de Acidentes - MAPA: ferramenta para a vigilância em Saúde do trabalhador.

The analysis of work-related accidents is important for accident surveillance and prevention. Current methods of analysis seek to overcome reductionist views that see these occurrences as simple events explained by operator error. The objective of this paper is to analyze the Model of Analysis and Prevention of Accidents (MAPA) and its use in monitoring interventions, duly highlighting aspects experienced in the use of the tool. The descriptive analytical method was used, introducing the steps of the model. To illustrate contributions and or difficulties, cases where the tool was used in the context of service were selected. MAPA integrates theoretical approaches that have already been tried in studies of accidents by providing useful conceptual support from the data collection stage until conclusion and intervention stages. Besides revealing weaknesses of the traditional approach, it helps identify organizational determinants, such as management failings, system design and safety management involved in the accident. The main challenges lie in the grasp of concepts by users, in exploring organizational aspects upstream in the chain of decisions or at higher levels of the hierarchy, as well as the intervention to change the determinants of these events.

Tragedy on grade crossing: driver failure or systemic fragility?

In 2010, an accident occurred in Americana-SP, Brazil, involving two trains and one bus on a Grade Crossing, when 10 people died and 17 were injured including workers. This paper aims to analyze the accident using the Model of Analysis and Prevention of Work Accidents (MAPA). The method provides observation of work, interviews and analysis of documents to understand precedents of the event in the following stages: to understand the usual work from the involved people, the changes occurred in the system, the operation of barriers, managerial and organizational aspects. By the end, measures are suggested to avoid new occurrences. The accident took place at night in a site with insufficient lighting. The working conditions of bus drivers, train operators and watchmen are inadequate. There were only symbolic barriers (visual and acoustic signals) triggered manually by watchman upon train operator radio communication. The fragility of the barrier system associated to poor lighting and short time to trigger the signaling seem to play a critical role in the event. Contrary to the official report which resulted in guilt of the bus driver, the conclusion of the paper emphasizes the fragility of the safety system and the need of level crossing reproject.

Safety illusion and error trap in a collectively-operated machine accident.

Workplace accidents involving machines are relevant for their magnitude and their impacts on worker health. Despite consolidated critical statements, explanation centered on errors of operators remains predominant with industry professionals, hampering preventive measures and the improvement of production-system reliability. Several initiatives were adopted by enforcement agencies in partnership with universities to stimulate production and diffusion of analysis methodologies with a systemic approach. Starting from one accident case that occurred with a worker who operated a brake-clutch type mechanical press, the article explores cognitive aspects and the existence of traps in the operation of this machine. It deals with a large-sized press that, despite being endowed with a light curtain in areas of access to the pressing zone, did not meet legal requirements. The safety devices gave rise to an illusion of safety, permitting activation of the machine when a worker was still found within the operational zone. Preventive interventions must stimulate the tailoring of systems to the characteristics of workers, minimizing the creation of traps and encouraging safety policies and practices that replace judgments of behaviors that participate in accidents by analyses of reasons that lead workers to act in that manner.

Circuit board accident--organizational dimension hidden by prescribed safety.

This study analyzes an accident in which two maintenance workers suffered severe burns while replacing a circuit breaker panel in a steel mill, following model of analysis and prevention of accidents (MAPA) developed with the objective of enlarging the perimeter of interventions and contributing to deconstruction of blame attribution practices. The study was based on materials produced by a health service team in an in-depth analysis of the accident. The analysis shows that decisions related to system modernization were taken without considering their implications in maintenance scheduling and creating conflicts of priorities and of interests between production and safety; and also reveals that the lack of a systemic perspective in safety management was its principal failure. To explain the accident as merely non-fulfillment of idealized formal safety rules feeds practices of blame attribution supported by alibi norms and inhibits possible prevention. In contrast, accident analyses undertaken in worker health surveillance services show potential to reveal origins of these events incubated in the history of the system ignored in practices guided by the traditional paradigm.