ABSTRACT
This chapter analyses the most common types of accidents in your workplace to see if you can find any evidence of inattentional blindness occurring. The classic example demonstrating inattentional blindness is that video clip with the gorilla. Inattentional blindness is not a cognitive or visual defect. It's essentially an issue of awareness, principally the failure to notice an entirely visible, though unexpected object because our brains are otherwise engaged. There is a limit to what our brains can cope with you see. In deciding where to focus, our brain scans around 30-40 pieces of data every second until something grabs its attention. The perceptual loading of the brain increases the likelihood of inattentional blindness. Chances of error increase when our attention is diverted to a secondary task, for example filling in an online form whilst holding a conversation about an important subject.
