Paperwork, management, and safety: Towards a bureaucratization of working life and a lack of hands-on supervision

In terms of safety issues, this poses interesting challenges. It has been argued elsewhere (Hollnagel, Woods, et al., 2006), and supported by our own research (Lamvik, Bye, et al., 2008), that accident models, such as the so-called ‘‘iceberg’’ theory, make offshore personnel focus too much on ‘‘trivial’’ mishaps, incidents with little or no risk potential. In complex technological settings, it is would be wiser to proactively create robust work practices in an organization, cf. (Skjerve, Rosness, et al., 2003; Skjerve 2008; Tinmannsvik 2008). This wouldmean that management should be hands-on; supporting learning and flexible work practices.