Organizational Errors and Individual Errors: Perspective on Accident Causation

Abstract

The development of human-machine system has brought better economic benefits, but simultaneously resulted in more serious accidents. What is more notable is that similar accidents may happen repeatedly in the same organization, and cannot be avoided even though different individuals are employed at the same position. The causes are attributed to individual errors but not organizational errors in most instances, since individual errors are much more apparent than organizational errors. Herein, we distinguish individual errors and organizational errors, by proposing the definition and characteristics of organizational errors and individual errors from the perspective of accident causation. Organizational errors refer to the latent errors in organizational level and organizational function, which will lead to individual errors and violations of these deviant behaviors, while individual errors refer to individual unconscious deviant behaviors.