ABSTRACT
Overview of feedback mechanisms Industrial systems are designed and operated by people. Decisions at the different levels of the industrial organisation will determine the level of safety of the system. These decisions are usually made as part of a continuous flow of management actions in real time and are guided by a set of goals. Experiences show that decision-makers seldom focus on safety by habit in this process. Other factors such as productivity, quality and progress have their immediate attention. This has to do with the fact that production demands are continuously present and direct and attract the attention of operators and managers. Accidents, on the other hand, are rare events and the associated feedback information to the organisation is infrequent and often difficult to interpret.
