From Controlling Work to Understanding Work: The Evolution of WAI and WAD “Operational Learning” and the Significance of Maritime New Zealand v Gibson

Abstract

This article examines the rise of Work-as-Imagined (WAI) and Work-as-Done (WAD) in New Zealand health and safety practice, using Maritime New Zealand v Anthony Michael Gibson [2024] NZDC 27975 as the local catalyst. It argues that Gibson should not be read as a narrow compliance case, but as an example of how officer due diligence depends on the organisation's ability to understand how critical work is actually performed. The article traces WAI/WAD through the evolution of safety and organisational learning, including scientific management, quality management, French ergonomics in the 1950s, Weisbord's organisational diagnosis, human error research, resilience engineering, Safety-II, and Human and Organisational Performance. It concludes that the practical task for officers, health and safety practitioners and representatives is to build disciplined ways to learn from everyday work before failure occurs.