Christer Eldh
Senior lecturer
Den riskfyllda gemenskapen : att hantera säkerhet på ett passagerarfartyg
Author
Summary, in English
The purpose of this study was to examine how cultural processes and organisa-tional conditions influence safety management in complex sociotechnical contexts. The object of investigation was a passenger ship where interviews and observations had been conducted for one year. The ambition was to understand definitions of risk and safety that arise on board the ship.
The study focuses on situations that are described and identified as risks, rather on “objective” risks. How are dangers and risks constructed, and whose interpretations are prioritised in safety management. Focus in the study was put on significance of different “communities of practice” and the way gender relations influenced the community spirit and cooperation aboard.
The study demonstrates that cultural processes are closely related to organisational structures and even affect the organization’s practices and ability to deal with safety issues. A hierarchical organization cannot suddenly become equal. Furthermore, in these contexts, organizations have a tendency to be under-stood as gender-neutral, but women are still “the second sex” in organizations and continue to be reproduced as such. This study contributed to the understanding that the concepts of risk and safety are ideologically charged in a complex socio-technical system.
Index terms: cultural processes, organization, gender, risk, safety culture, passenger ship, safety management
The study focuses on situations that are described and identified as risks, rather on “objective” risks. How are dangers and risks constructed, and whose interpretations are prioritised in safety management. Focus in the study was put on significance of different “communities of practice” and the way gender relations influenced the community spirit and cooperation aboard.
The study demonstrates that cultural processes are closely related to organisational structures and even affect the organization’s practices and ability to deal with safety issues. A hierarchical organization cannot suddenly become equal. Furthermore, in these contexts, organizations have a tendency to be under-stood as gender-neutral, but women are still “the second sex” in organizations and continue to be reproduced as such. This study contributed to the understanding that the concepts of risk and safety are ideologically charged in a complex socio-technical system.
Index terms: cultural processes, organization, gender, risk, safety culture, passenger ship, safety management
Publishing year
2004
Language
Swedish
Document type
Dissertation
Publisher
Arkiv förlag
Topic
- Social Sciences Interdisciplinary
Keywords
- Passagerarfartyg
- säkerhetsaspekter
- Kulturella aspekter
- Fartyg
- Gender
- Riskhantering
- Risk
Status
Published
Supervisor
- Boel Berner
- Ulf Mellströn
ISBN/ISSN/Other
- ISBN: 91-7924-174-3
Defence date
24 May 2004
Defence time
10:15
Defence place
sal Key 1, Key-huset, Universitetsområdet Valla,
Opponent
- [unknown unknown]