How to improve inter-organizational learning from safety investigations?

Sammanfattning: The aim of this thesis is to identify characteristics on how safety facilitators can improve inter-organizational learning from safety investigations. The study is a response to the fact that the Dutch Safety Board questions the learning effects of its accident investigation reports, despite that these are freely accessible on the website, which assumes that other organizations can use and learn from these reports. Within the maritime sector, the sole release of information does not seem to enhance learning that leads to lower accident rates. In the first chapter, results of a literature review are presented. These show that this domain is largely unexplored and therefore this research will add to the academic literature. However, the thesis also has practical implications as it identifies incentives. In the second chapter, the method is brought to light. In order to expose inter-organizational learning incentives, semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight employees within seven different maritime companies in the Netherlands. This aimed to reveal possibilities to disseminate safety investigation information to organizations not involved in an accident such that it enhances learning. In the central section the thesis provides facilitators possible incentives to adopt in their communication of their safety investigations so as to lower the threshold concerning or enhance inter-organizational learning with the purpose of improving safety. Here, the thesis draws on academic sources and the previous literature review to reflect these incentives. In the conclusion chapter, the thesis argues that the results are applicable for facilitating information in the maritime sector, and could probably also be used in other transportation domains. The main results in the thesis suggest that: - The dissemination of information in the form of written reports should be continued. - The reports should include an abstract and context, and preferably be bilingual, brief and positively formulated. - The necessity of anonymity and to stimulate safety is to be supported. - Safety investigations should concentrate on why things normally go wright. Therefore, the facilitator/investigator should conduct participative observation and frequently visit organizations to discuss safety (items).