Special Issue "Human and Organizational Factors in Complex Systems"

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Engineering and Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2021.

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Myrto Konstantinidou
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Systems Reliability and Industrial Safety Laboratory, Institute for Nuclear and Radiological Sciences, Energy, Technology and Safety, National Center for Scientific Research “DEMOKRITOS”, 15310 Athens, Greece
Interests: human reliability; quantitative risk assessment; risk management; accident analysis
Dr. Michalis Christou
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Directorate on Strategy, Work Programme and Resources, Joint Research Centre, European Commission, Brussels, Belgium
Interests: risk assessment; crisis management; critical systems; organizational factors

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The study of human and organizational factors is extremely important for improving the safety of complex socio-technical systems. Unlike technical subsystems, for which the chance of failure can be calculated, the reason why human error can occur cannot be studied only through the analysis of statistical distributions, as humans and equipment may compose a single joint cognitive system.  The human factor is undeniably a critical element in risk assessment since it denotes the human contribution to risk. On the other hand, organizational factors have been gaining ground in recent years due to their important influence on effective risk management, accident prevention and emergency responses.

All of the above are undeniably critical, and the fact that they are rarely included in safety analysis can hinder accurate processes for assessing the safety of complex systems and infrastructures.

In the notion of complex systems, all systems that include human–machine interactions are included (e.g., the control rooms of industrial or power plants, tunnels or ships). In a complex system, the interaction between human operators and technical systems is considered perpetual. It is the combined availability, reliability and efficiency of such systems that determine their performance and, consequently, their safety.

This Special Issue on “Human and Organizational Factors in Complex Systems” aims to explore and bring out recent developments, new methods, tools and/or application examples (case studies) regarding human and organizational factors in different sectors such as (but not limited to):

  1. The chemical industry;
  2. The processing industry, including oil and gas as well as offshore installations;
  3. The nuclear industry;
  4. Manufacturing;
  5. Road transport;
  6. Rail transport;
  7. Aviation;
  8. Maritime transport;
  9. Accident analysis;
  10. Emergency responses;
  11. Risk management;
  12. Critical situations.

High-quality contributions addressing related theoretical and practical aspects are therefore welcomed.

Dr. Myrto Konstantinidou
Dr. Michalis Christou
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • human reliability
  • process industry
  • manufacturing
  • nuclear industry
  • transport
  • accidents
  • emergency response
  • risk management
  • risk assessment
  • safety analysis

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

Article
“Vision Zero” Concept as a Tool for the Effective Occupational Safety Management System Formation in JSC “SUEK-Kuzbass”
Sustainability 2021, 13(11), 6335; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13116335 - 03 Jun 2021
Viewed by 575
Abstract
At present, in Russia, as in many countries, the issues of reducing industrial injuries, as well as increasing the effectiveness of measures taken by employers in the field of industrial safety and introducing a culture of safe work, are widely discussed. The relevance [...] Read more.
At present, in Russia, as in many countries, the issues of reducing industrial injuries, as well as increasing the effectiveness of measures taken by employers in the field of industrial safety and introducing a culture of safe work, are widely discussed. The relevance of the topic is due to the fact that Russia is a participant in the Vision Zero campaign, founded by the International Social Security Association (ISSA) and the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH). The article discusses the history of the emergence and development of the Vision Zero strategy from the corporate to the international level, provides the goals and objectives of the concept of “zero injuries”, studies the indicators of its implementation, and analyzes injuries at coal enterprises of the Russian Federation. As a result, a methodology for solving the tasks in the form of a list of necessary measures and target indicators of their achievement was proposed based on the example of one of the largest coal companies—JSC “SUEK-Kuzbass”. Based on the results of studies, the main conclusion has been formulated—the “Vision Zero” concept is an effective tool to promote an effective occupational safety management system. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Human and Organizational Factors in Complex Systems)
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