This work-based project is an investigation of the interaction between multicultural crews and safety management systems and the influences of this interaction on health and safety in the offshore oil Industry. This study has been carried out in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Doctorate of Professional Studies at the Institute of Work Based Learning, Middlesex University, London. The aim of this project is to minimise occupational casualties in the industry by exploring the social science paradigms of human action and cultural diversity, and it relies heavily on ethnographic methodologies. The qualitative data collection techniques chosen are structured observations, semistructured interviews, focus groups and a research diary. The key themes that emerged from the project highlighted the perception of high consequences/low probability risk among the working community. In this context, the cultural relativity of the hazard perception is an instrument used to maintain group solidarity. The group that emerged from this work-based research is culturally-biased according to a ‘way of life’ that characterises it, and predisposes it to adopt a particular view of society at work. The data collected and analysed in this ethnographic investigation establish the fact that cultural bias and shared values have influenced how safety is lived and, most importantly, seen and perceived by the workforce community. The concept of “cross-cultural safety consciousness” is proposed in this research, along with a conceptual model for a practical approach to safety based on its findings, with the aim being to reduce the number of incidents in the offshore oil industry. The project may have an international impact and relevance; professional organisations and maritime trade unions have displayed interest in the outcomes of this investigation.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:570826 |
| Date | January 2011 |
| Creators | De Rossi, Valerio |
| Publisher | Middlesex University |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://eprints.mdx.ac.uk/9061/ |
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