An investigation into the validity and reliability of the AcciMap approach
Date
2007
Authors
Branford, Kate
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Abstract
The aim of this thesis is to investigate the validity and reliability of the AcciMap
approach, a systems-based technique for analysing the causes of organisational
accidents. This approach has been used to analyse accidents in a number of complex
systems and to identify areas in which safety interventions should be directed.
However, while the technique is implicitly assumed to be valid and reliable, the
questions of whether or not it does, in fact, allow analysts to identify the causes of
accidents correctly and whether or not the results obtained are consistent and replicable,
have not been addressed. These questions are of critical importance when the findings
of AcciMap analyses are used to determine the corrective actions to be taken after an
accident, since the safety of the system may be jeopardised if problems are not correctly
identified and remedied.
In the investigation into the validity and reliability of this technique, a study was
performed in which several participants independently analysed an accident, using
AcciMap guidelines developed during this research. The aim of the study was to enable
the validity of the participants’ results (assessed against results produced by AcciMap
experts), the reliability of their results (assessed by comparing participants' findings
with those of one another) and the nature and significance of any observed variations in
these results, to be examined. The qualitative and quantitative analysis of the results
obtained in this study revealed that, although similarities existed between their findings,
each participant’s results differed from those of the experts and the other participants.
Examination of the nature and significance of these differences indicated that some
were insignificant with respect to the meaning portrayed or the potential outcomes of
analyses, while others were significant in these terms but could feasibly be eliminated if
changes were made to the analysis process. Several observed variations, however, were
both significant in these respects and arguably unavoidable, stemming from parts of the
analysis requiring subjective analyst judgement and areas in which human error or
differences in interpretation were possible. The existence of such variations
demonstrates that AcciMap analyses do not always produce entirely valid and reliable
results.
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Thesis (PhD)
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