Based on research that investigated how manufacturing firms
addressed safety matters in the course of producing machinery,
this paper has examined the construction of knowledge about
safety matters as a principal element shaping firms’ performance
for hazard recognition, risk control and safety information
outcomes. The foremost finding is that firm performance is highly
varied, because key decision makers in manufacturing firms construct
safety knowledge from multiple potential constituents, and
grounded in their diverse professional, vocational and personal histories
and capacities. That is, knowledge about machinery safety
matters is contextualised. Knowledge is also practice-based as
the building blocks of safety knowledge are skewed toward sources
that are integral to everyday design and construction practice.
These sources include actors in supply chains and technical standards,
which are preferenced over state developed legal instruments
and guidance, and specialist sources, although health and
safety professionals may facilitate access to the latter.
This research has implications for public policy as it raises
important questions about how to build capacity and sustain strong
performance for substantive safety outcomes. On the one hand,
those involved in machinery design and construction learn through
practice. On the other hand, the sources they engage with through
practice may not nurture the production of inherently safe machinery.
There is a challenge for regulators and policy makers, as well as
industry, professional and educational stakeholders, to contemplate
how they might foster sound learning about safety matters through
design and construction practice, rather than conceiving learning as
based in individuals acquiring and reading guidance materials, participating
in education or training in classroom settings, or engaging
with specialist resources. A key initiative would be for regulators
and policy makers to collaborate with safety professional, education
and industry stakeholders to provide experiential learning programs
which are designed to develop knowledge and skills in
addressing safety matters through practice. That is, capacity building
initiatives would be practice-based, structured and organized
around authentic work activities, supported and guided by experienced
practitioners, and with opportunities to reinforce and hone
relevant knowledge and skills