Determining the salient factors that contribute to reporting behaviour: A quest to increase “non-injury based” reporting at CSIRO

Background: Hazard, near miss and injury reporting is an integral part of any safety management system that enables organisational learning, risk reduction, and development of a safety culture. Underreporting may impede the detection of potential latent conditions and causal pathways to serious events. Aims: To present a case study that explores a number of enhancement strategies for increasing levels of reporting within an organisation. Method: The framework for increasing reporting effectiveness was based on three interdependent themes developed in a Masters project. These were (1) building a vigorous systems approach, (2) cultivating a reporting culture, and (3) understanding of individual factors and biases. These themes were specified with a force field analysis that identified the driving factors and resisting barriers to reporting behaviour, and subsequently integrated into an incident reporting and improvement planning tool. The tool was applied in an industry setting in the Commonwealth Science and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). Results: The planning tool identified strategies and improvements to existing processes and showed an increase in reporting behaviour over a 12-month period of approximately 30% for both injury and non-injury reports. During this period serious injuries fell 2% of the total injury rate, indicating an increase in reporting behaviour rather than rate of injury over the period due to the interventions undertaken. Conclusions: If underperforming interventions are identified and key strategies within the themes are implemented, the levels of cultural maturity within the organisation may be further advanced, and moreover, drive an increase in reporting culture.