Abstract: In complex socio-technical systems small variations can both have adverse consequences and be successful adaptations to changing demands. Fire fighters, nurses and air traffic controllers all work under the pressure of knowing that small deviations can be hazardous. However, these same small deviations and adaptations may be instrumental and necessary when dealing with another hazardous situation. The same act that saves a person‟s life one day may endanger another person‟s the next day. Does this mean that these systems are unsafe? How do organizations, teams and individuals adapt in order to manage these risks and be resilient? In nine focus groups with a total of 32 participants from eight different safety-critical domains the topic of working near the safety margin was discussed. In this paper we present examples from the focus groups of everyday situations where the margins for safety are small and of strategies that are used to manage these situations. Further, a framework for analysing resilience strategies and their characteristics is presented and discussed.
Rankin, A., Lundberg, J., & Woltjer, R. (2011). Resilience Strategies for Managing Everyday Risks. Proceedings of the 4th Resilience Engineering Symposium. Sophia Antipolis, France. [pdf]