The use of weak signals in occupational safety and health: An investigation

The domain of occupational safety and health (OSH) is forced to respond to the requirements set by the rapid technological development and progress in order for the organizations to attain acceptable organizational safety and health maturity levels. Being able to understand weak signals and to develop mechanisms for their identification and management, can potentially lead to safer and healthier workplaces. The systematic and on-time identification of weak signals and their origin provides the potential for early intervention. If the threat is not recognized at an early stage, then the possibility of successful intervention is minimized along with the potential to abolish unwanted consequences and impending major disasters. This paper investigates and analyzes the current knowledge and use of weak signals within the OSH domain. The investigation is primarily based on the review of existing OSH literature, and is supplemented by a technical examination of selected major industrial accidents with respect to the documented existence of weak signals before their occurrence. The findings of this investigation provide a theoretical contribution towards a better understanding of the nature and current impact of weak signals within the OSH domain. Furthermore, they highlight the lack of weak signals consideration within traditional occupational health and safety management systems (OHSMS), and indicate that their explicit management can potentially enhance the global effort made for the minimization of occupational accidents, diseases and dangerous occurrences.