NEBOSH HSE Introduction
to Incident Investigation
52
1.4
ELEMENT 1.1
ELEMENT 1.4
ELEMENT 1.2
ELEMENT 1.3
ELEMENT 1.5
Biases can cause someone to feel or display an inclination or prejudice for or against someone or something. Perception bias
can occur in an incident investigation as people perceive things in different ways. When people are rapidly making decisions
and forming thoughts based on the facts in front of them, they can subconsciously form a perception
bias based on the
shorthand the brain develops to help us make those decisions quickly. Other factors, such as social pressure, can affect how we
perceive
situations or people, even when we believe we are being impartial, by making assumptions.
Cherry picking bias
Cherry picking is a type of confirmation bias,
where a person
will overlook sometimes vital elements, and focus only on
elements that confirm the notion that they already believe to be
correct. This type of bias can be very
detrimental to an effective
investigation. People can cling on to their perceived beliefs even
when evidence has been brought to light that challenges that
perception or belief.
It is vitally important that these assumptions are challenged
by the investigation team to ensure
the conclusions made are
not affected by perceived beliefs, and the wrong conclusions
drawn. This type of bias can very often be present in smaller
organisations where
familiarity with the workforce, work areas
and equipment can result in opinions being cemented prior to
any incident.
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