What learning happens? Using audio diaries to capture learning in response to safety-related events within retail and logistics organizations

• Audio diaries are used to capture safety practices.
• Employees in service organizations adopt single-loop learning for safety.
• Role rather than hierarchy encourages double-loop learning for safety.
• Near misses are probably under-reported in organizations.
• Violations demonstrate prior learning.

Learning from safety incidents has typically been investigated amongst front-line workers in high hazard contexts. In contrast this study collected safety incident data using audio-recorders from 21 respondents across the organizational hierarchy in two retail and one logistics company in the UK. The diary data highlight the propensity for problem-fixing in a single-loop learning mode rather than deeper, double-loop learning problem-resolution. The latter occurs amongst those with organizational responsibility for safety, irrespective of hierarchical position. The observation of violations is suggestive of prior learning of correct procedures and these data suggest that near-misses are under-reported in organizations.