Evaluating workers’ performance variability in high-risk process industries: A safety-II perspective using interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy AHP

Investigate and prioritize factors influencing workers’ performance variability in high-risk process industries. The conceptual framework of industrial safety has evolved, transitioning from a focus on injury or asset protection toward human behaviors. While numerous theories explain accident causation, a notable paradigm shift has occurred. The move from safety-1, which focuses on what goes wrong, to safety-2, which focuses on successful performance under varying conditions. This perspective recognizes that human performances encompass complex interactions between cognitive processes, physical capabilities, and environmental factors. This research builds on the premise that performance variability is an inherent aspect of human behavior rather than a deficiency to be eliminated, positioning it as a source of safety and, occasionally, of system failure. This study employed literature reviews and expert elicitation to establish a comprehensive database of factors affecting workers’ performance variability in high-risk Industries. This process identified 25 distinct factors, which were subsequently classified into five categories. The interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy analytic hierarchy process was applied to quantitatively prioritize these factors according to their relative significance and impact on safety outcomes. Administrative and organizational factors most significantly impact performance variability. Top-ranked factors include shortcut possibilities, production constraints, excessive overtime, procedural inadequacies, and workload demands. Performance variability originates from systemic influences rather than human deficiencies. Consequently, management decisions critically affect operational safety outcomes. Organizations can target resources toward priority areas, redesign performance systems, implement Safety-2 principles, develop management-focused interventions, and create environments that support both safety and productivity.