This article brings together works on the concept of constructed safety in ergonomics, carried out over the last twenty-five years. Firstly, we situate this approach to safety in relation to previously developed existing models previously developed (e.g. regulated and managed safety) with regard to the development of activity-centred ergonomics. We then present six research actions in activity-centred ergonomics from a selection of different fields, from small companies to the industry of the future in an international group: public works, hospitals, aeronautical industry, railway transport, agriculture, and chemical industry, in order to describe constructed safety applications. The results highlight that constructed safety is respectively raised by mutual knowledge between workers and management, collective decision making, collective reflexive work on safety rules, spatiotemporal articulation of the different safety sources, knowledge integration on pesticide exposure situations by designers and regulation, social regulation sustaining risk understanding and safety aspect involving a diversity of actors (workers, preventionists, managers, local residents and public authorities). By focusing on the analysis of actual safety practices in real work and real exposure situations, 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 safe work systems in a developmental way and to propose an operating model of constructed safety. Safety issues are paramount in work environments where high-risk work activities take place. This article proposes an operating model of 'constructed safety' to help address these health and safety issues. This developmental approach to safety is based on the models and methods of activity-centred ergonomics.

This article describes an ergonomic intervention carried out within a healthcare institution experiencing a social crisis. The objective was to understand the origin of the crisis in order to develop a shared diagnosis, and to create the conditions to place real work at the center of debates and decisions. Social tensions directly impacted the approach and caused the ergonomists to adjust their methodology. The article presents the co -constructed model used to understand the social crisis. It also describes the methodological adjustments made to face the constantly changing constraints of the crisis. Finally, it shows how these adjustments made it possible both to create the conditions for a dialogue about work, in a peaceful atmosphere of mutual listening, and to act on the work.

This paper presents a constructive view of Human Factors/Ergonomics (HFE) and its implications regarding work, organisations and HFE interventions. In contrast to a defensive approach to HFE, which would view work mostly as a source of constraints, and the role of HFE as reducing these constraints, the goal of constructive ergonomics is to eliminate obstacles hindering success and development and to maximise opportunities for acting and learning. After having developed the concept and the methods of enabling interventions, as well as their consequences on the role of ergonomists, two enabling interventions are presented to illustrate the implementation of the constructive approach in real work settings. The discussion advocates a conception of development as a fact, a means and a goal of HFE interventions, and emphasises the maieutic role of ergonomists.

This article describes an ergonomic intervention carried out within a healthcare institution experiencing a social crisis. The objective was to understand the origin of the crisis in order to develop a shared diagnosis, and to create the conditions to place real work at the center of debates and decisions. Social tensions directly impacted the approach and caused the ergonomists to adjust their methodology. The article presents the co-constructed model used to understand the social crisis. It also describes the methodological adjustments made to face the constantly changing constraints of the crisis. Finally, it shows how these adjustments made it possible both to create the conditions for a dialogue about work, in a peaceful atmosphere of mutual listening, and to act on the work.

Debate on work as a way to generate health, safety and efficiency in the sociotechnical system has been the object of much research in recent years. Few studies, however, have developed concrete cases of the effects of the debates on work. This article shows an action-research carried out in an electricity distribution enterprise immersed in the logic of "organizational silence", in which workers are able to declare risk situations experienced in the field. In view of this and in order to build an effective safety system, a "structured debate on work" was developed, the organization of debate spaces rooted in the power of action of its members, at different levels of the enterprise. This is an alternative way of assessing and modelling risk by using the knowledge and capabilities of workers in a process of organizational learning. The results show the systemic contributions and the necessary conditions for the discussion about the work to generate safety for the sociotechnical system. Viewed from this perspective, an effective safety management system is one that articulates past experience, current debate and likely future situations to generate systems capable of anticipating and preventing risk situations.

Categorie de soumission : communication longue RESUME Cette communication rend compte d'une etude menee a la demande de chercheurs en informatique et d'un industriel, equipementier, engages dans le developpement de nouveaux outils d'actimetrie. Partant d'une demande concernant le decompte des sollicitations biomecaniques et des inquietudes en concernant les impacts sociaux de ces outils, l'analyse de l'activite a permis d'associer au projet le sens des activites des acteurs concernes. L'analyse de l'activite a constitue un moyen pour soutenir des decisions de conception integrant les activites de travail. Plusieurs registres d'action sur le projet ont ete assures : (1) repondre aux preoccupations technologiques en assurant une analyse croisee des performances des outils et l'analyse des gestes ; (2) formaliser le sens de l'activite pour depasser une lecture en termes de dynamiques de segments corporels et enrichir les modalites de prise en compte des zones de conforts ; (3) aller au-dela de la notion « d'action technique » structurant la norme de conception, pour relier aux gestes et contraintes posturales les strategies de construction de marges de manoeuvre temporelles et de mise en oeuvre de competences au cours de l'action face aux aleas au cours de l'activite ; (4) proposer des axes de reflexion pour la conception au-dela de la periode d'etude.

Cette communication traite des rapports entre activite et organisation du travail a partir de l’accompagnement de la prevention primaire des risques psychosociaux (RPS) dans un etablissement public. La recherche des facteurs de RPS s’est fondee sur l’analyse de ce qui est percu et vecu par les agents. Les resultats acquis ont servi de contenu aux outils classiques de prevention des RPS pour mobiliser l’encadrement, elaborer et faire vivre un plan d’action dans l’etablissement. Ce travail nous permet de revenir sur des elements theoriques concernant tout particulierement l’activite ou le sens de l’organisation en acte et structuration de l’organisation se produisent.

This article seeks to understand the constructive dynamics of patients’ capabilities in radiotherapy. In this study, “patients’ capabilities” refers to what they are actually able to do in terms of safe and effective care. In particular, we highlight the conversion factors that promote or hinder the development of patients’ capabilities, that is to say, the factors that enable their cooperation. The methodology combined observations of treatment sessions and interviews with radiotherapy professionals and patients. The main results highlight the key role that knowledge of risks associated with care, personnel motivation, trust relationships, encouragement and positive strengthening play in the development of patients’ capabilities. In addition, they show how context and, more specifically, working conditions may impact the development of patients’ capabilities and therefore caregiver-patient cooperation. The discussion focuses on the development of professionals’ capabilities as the starting point and the condition for the development of patients’ capabilities.