Watch Out for the Bull! Farmer Risk Perception and Decision-Making in Livestock Handling Scenarios

Acknowledgements The authors are grateful to all farmers and stakeholders for giving up their time to take part in this study. We would also like to thank organisational contacts who aided recruitment. Funding This research project was funded by the School of Psychology, University of Aberdeen.Peer reviewedPostprin

Developing a prototype behavioural marker system for farmer non-technical skills (FLINTS)

open access via T&F agreeement Funding The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Developing a behavioural marker system for farmer non-technical skills (FLINTS).

Objective: Non-technical skills, the social and cognitive skills thought necessary for safe and effective working, have been studied within the farming context over the past six years. However, these skills are not yet taught as part of a safety curriculum for farmers, due, in part, to a lack of defined framework and assessment system. The current paper describes the development of the FLINTS behavioural marker system for discussion, observation, evaluation and feedback on non-technical skills for farmers. Method: The development of the behavioural marker system proceeded through three key stages. First, the current research knowledge on non-technical skills was synthesised to compile a list of non-technical skill categories and elements. Second, a series of discussion groups with subject matter experts was conducted to develop behavioural markers for each element. Lastly, refinement and review of the system was undertaken by academics and experts. Results: The FLINTS taxonomy containing five non-technical skill categories and 16 elements was produced. The non-technical skill categories comprised situation awareness, teamwork & communication, leadership, task management and decision-making each with specific elements and behavioural markers. Conclusion: FLINTS represents the first behavioural marker system for farmer non-technical skills, constructed through expert knowledge and advice via discussion and review groups, combined with underpinning research findings. This represents the first step towards the development of non-technical training and assessment for farmers. The FLINTS system was produced as a handbook and is freely available to all potential users (https://research.abdn.ac.uk/nts-farming/flints/)

Thinking five or six actions ahead : investigating the non-technical skills used with UK forestry chainsaw operations

Funding This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Thinking five or six actions ahead: Investigating the non-technical skills used within UK forestry chainsaw operations.

Background: Non-technical skills (NTS) are the cognitive and social skills considered vital for safe and effective work performance alongside technical knowledge. The current study seeks to explore these skills in the high-risk domain of felling tasks within the UK forestry context. Method: Semi-structured interviews encompassing the critical incident technique were conducted with 25 forestry employees (9 chainsaw operators, 6 supervisors, 10 managers). Results: The results emphasise the relevance of NTS for chainsaw operations within the forestry context. A range of both social (leadership, teamwork & communication) and cognitive (situation awareness, decision-making, task management, cognitive readiness) NTS were identified. The elements and associated codes within each skill category illustrate the fit of these skills with the specific forestry context, with some elements entirely unique to chainsaw operations. A range of factors that could adversely impact NTS performance were also identified across five categories (external pressure, training and experience, environmental conditions, cognitive influences, individual constraints). Conclusion: The results represent the first step towards developing an NTS framework and associated behavioural marker system for forestry chainsaw operations. Further research and development are required to produce a full system that can be used to support training and assessment of NTS in practice. However, the current results can be used to raise awareness of these skills within the forestry industry, and as support for the inclusion of NTS within chainsaw operator training programs