Ambiguous Reliability in Temporal and Outsourced Utility Construction Operations

• In Event: The Impact of Outsourcing and Contracting on Accident Prevention in Complex Sociotechnical Systems (2)

Abstract

Utility construction operations are a typical example of outsourcing. Reconstruction of roads, water, gas, and telecommunication networks, for example, involve distinctive clients, engineering firms, and trade contractors. Although these organizations execute work concurrently in the same physical space, each technical discipline mostly designs and plans construction work individually. Distinctive stakeholders are responsible for the design, engineering and execution of the construction operations. Moreover, no stakeholder has the hierarchical control over the interrelated construction operations. This fragmentation challenges reliability – i.e. avoidance of unwanted unexpected situations. High Reliability Organizing assumes that reliability routines are established around organizational units. Although settings around utility construction operations can be considered as (a loosely coupled) organizational unit, it remains an empirical question to date whether HRO-routines establish in these settings. To explore whether and how utility streetworks organizations aim for reliable performance; we interviewed stakeholders of two urban utility streetworks projects. Based on this, we developed descriptive narratives about how they collectively dealt with operational (near) misses. These narratives were compared with HRO principles (pre-occupation with failure, reluctance to simplification, sensitivity to operations, commitment to resilience, and deference to expertise). We found that privatization of the utility sector not only fragmented utility network ownership, but that it also created ambiguity about the responsibility for reliable planning and execution of streetworks projects.

Author

• Leon olde Scholtenhuis, University of Twente