Human and Organizational Performance (HOP)
Modern operating environments are more complex and tightly coupled than the systems for which many traditional safety approaches were designed. While compliance-based models remain necessary, they are often insufficient to explain or manage risk that emerges from everyday decisions made under real-world constraints. As a result, organizations are increasingly adopting newer safety frameworks that better reflect how work is actually performed. Understanding the evolution from traditional Safety I (“old-school”) thinking to approaches such as Safety II and Human and Organizational Performance (HOP) provides important context for how organizations can more effectively manage risk in high-hazard operations.
Core Principles
1. People make mistakes Humans are fallible, and error is a normal part of being human. The goal is to design systems that are resilient to these errors.
2. Blame fixes nothing Punishing people after incidents doesn't prevent future problems. Instead, focus on understanding the context and system factors that contributed to the error.
3. Context drives behavior People's actions make sense to them at the time based on their knowledge, pressures, and circumstances. Understanding this context is key to improvement.
4. Learning is vital Organizations should create a learning environment where people feel safe reporting errors and near-misses without fear of punishment.
5. Response matters How leadership responds to incidents shapes the safety culture. A constructive response focuses on learning rather than punishment.
How HOP Differs from Traditional Safety
Traditional safety often focuses on compliance, procedures, and holding individuals accountable for violations. HOP shifts the focus to:
System design and organizational factors
Understanding the gap between "work as imagined" (procedures) and "work as done" (reality)
Worker involvement and psychological safety
Continuous learning from both successes and failures