ABSTRACT
There is a long tradition in the safety sciences of developing up-close, in-depth accounts of hazardous technological systems in order to explain how those systems work – and why they fail. Some of the most influential theories and ideas about organisational risk and safety have emerged from detailed analyses using methodologies that are qualitative, theory-generative and founded on constructivist perspectives that emphasise social, interactive and contextual contributions. However, the underlying methodologies that allow us to get “inside” complex systems are not regularly a focus of the safety sciences in similar depth. This volume aims to help rebalance this situation by focusing attention on the methodological foundations and practical strategies of research that seeks to explain what goes on in hazardous technological systems. This chapter sets the scene. It considers context, history and objectives of these methodological approaches in the safety sciences, explores the common principles and challenges that emerge from the contributions in this volume, provides a map of the chapters that follow and identifies the outline of a future research agenda to further advance the methodological underpinnings of the safety sciences.
