This proposal for a Research Planning Grant expands previous research on safety-monitoring systems in the air traffic sector to other sectors. The main purpose of the planning grant is to conduct preliminary research to determine which monitoring systems will be studied in depth as part of the planned research project. The research will examine the ways organizations collect information about and learn from near accidents. During the planning period, the principal investigator will examine archival data and conduct interviews. Research sites include systems for monitoring medical instruments, the production of nuclear energy, and the coordination of telephone operations. The proposed research will contribute to the study of information acquisition and processing in organizations, as well as to analysis of organizational learning.
