Developmental approach of safety in ergonomics/human factors: insights of constructed safety in six work environments

This article brings together works on the notion of constructed safety in ergonomics, carried out over the last fifteen years. Firstly, we situate this approach to safety in relation to existing models previously developed (e.g. regulated or managed safety) in regard with the development of activity-centred ergonomics. We then present six research actions in activity-centred ergonomics in different fields: public works, hospitals, industry 4.0, railway transport, agriculture, and chemical industry, in order to describe constructed safety applications. By focusing on the analysis of actual safety practices in work situations and real exposures, constructed safety aims to account for the way in which safety is deployed on a daily basis to meet production and health objectives. This understanding contributes to the design of the safety of work systems in a developmental way and to propose an operating model of constructed safety.