ABSTRACT
The interplay between formal work organization (g., procedures, safety rules and structures of authority) and practitioner work practices has attracted a lot of research in human factors. Formal descriptions of work usually produce general work patterns that allow a great body of operational knowledge to be expressed in a coherent and orderly fashion. However, the actual practices on the job may deviate from formal procedures for several reasons such as unanticipated events, goal conflicts not addressed in formal rules, time pressure, and changes in technology that require modifications to existing procedures. Very often, the terms ‘violations’ and ‘workarounds’ have been used to refer to work practices that are not in accord with formal procedures. Violations and workarounds occur frequently in all industries, as they can bring some benefits to individuals and organizations. Sometimes, they are tolerated by organizations as their impact on safety can be controlled with other system defenses.
