ABSTRACT
Traditionally, occupational injuries and accidents have been viewed as singular system outcomes independent of profitability, management, or organizational context. Hendrick (1991a) proposed a macroergonomic approach that can be used to address injury prevention. This alternative view suggests that there are multiple causal factors (e.g., psychosocial, ergonomic, management, engineering) that influence safety. This approach is a major development and an overarching theme for psychological, systems, and participatory methodologies for injury reduction and mitigation. A macroergonomic approach to improve safety begs us to expand the scope of our usual interventions to reduce work-related injuries. Our traditional strategies that involve engineering, training, or administrative control may be too limiting to be effective (Nagamachi & Imada, 1992). A more robust model acknowledges that accidents and human error have multiple causal factors that extend well beyond the scene of the event. DeJoy (1990), Nagamachi (1984), and Nagamachi and Imada (1992) have presented macroergonomic models that begin to describe these mismatches in human interface. Recently, research evidence has emerged that supports these models; for example, psychosocial factors, decision latitude, and employee relationships may
moderate the relationships between human interface hardware and musculoskeletal disorders (Faucett & Rempel, 1994). Further, there is evidence that psychosocial factors related to the job and work environment play a role in work-related musculoskeletal disorders (NIOSH 1997, Chapter 7).
