ABSTRACT
The term high-reliability organizations (HROs) was coined in the mid1980s by a group of scholars at the University of California at Berkeley, who initiated a study in three organizations in which serious accidents were not tolerated: commercial nuclear power plants, the US Federal Aviation Administration’s operation of its air traffic control system, and the US Navy’s aircraft carrier aviation program.1 In general, HROs were found to focus on systemic strategies for improving safety and reliability and therefore create value to their staff and customers, for example, in a broad sense framed around the Swiss Cheese Model (Figures 1.2-1.4
in Chapter 1). These industries have been extraordinarily successful in improving safety and preventing occurrence of major accidents. Sample data from the aviation industry are shown in Figure 3.1. Those unfamiliar with these concepts should read the following sections carefully as the concepts are somewhat difficult to comprehend and often misunderstood. A series of evolving figures are provided to facilitate understanding.
