Title: Exploring emergency response: theories of communities of practice, safety cultures, situation awareness and tacit knowledge

Authors: Michael J. Taber; Nancy Taber

Addresses: Survival Systems Limited, 20 Orion Court, Dartmouth, NS, B2Y 4W6, Canada ' Department of Graduate and Undergraduate Studies in Education, Faculty of Education, Brock University, 500 Glenridge Ave., St. Catharines, ON, L2S 3A1, Canada

Abstract: This paper discusses theoretical constructs from various domains to explore emergency response management. Using the Piper Alpha disaster as an example, we argue that applying a communities of practice lens can inform understandings of safety cultures, shared situation awareness, and tacit knowledge. First, we briefly outline the Piper Alpha event and detail communities of practice theory with a critical analysis of how it can be applied to emergency response events with respect to safety cultures. Then, we connect the development and maintenance of situation awareness and tacit knowledge to our argument as it relates to actions performed in relation to the emergency event. Finally, we provide a concluding discussion of the Piper Alpha disaster in order explore implications for emergency response management.

Keywords: emergency response; communities of practice; situation awareness; safety culture; tacit knowledge; emergency management; Piper Alpha disaster; disaster response.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEM.2013.054096

International Journal of Emergency Management, 2013 Vol.9 No.1, pp.46 - 58

Received: 10 Aug 2012
Accepted: 16 Aug 2012
Published online: 22 May 2013 *

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