Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
When the stress rises to extreme levels, all irrelevant inputs are
excluded (inattentional blindness). The modern brain makes a first
estimation as to whether the actors are still in charge of the situation
and how strong the threat is
—“
Can we still manage this or should we
run?
The stronger the perception of the threat, the more the modern
brain is overridden by the emotional and the basic brain. People
become more intuitive and panic can result. Highly trained employees
nonconsciously can take the right actions, but those who don
”
'
tfully
master the task become more accident prone. As panic increases,
more errors are made and motor skills decline (Mobbs et al., 2009).
We become clumsy, both in handling tools and in our social behavior.
For highly technical tasks, the chances for a good result decrease.
The brain is even preparing in case we might get hurt. Our pain sensi-
tivity decreases (temporary analgesia) so that pain won
t distracted us
as much if we do get hurt. This helps to take up our last bit of energy
for saving the situation (Petrovic et al., 2002). Working in a high-
stress mode is asking for trouble.
'
Case 1
When the valve is removed, the possibility exists that a small amount
of gas (nitrogen) combined with some thicker substances might come
out of the pipe. As soon as oil starts squirting, there is a serious prob-
lem, an emergency. Behavior at such a moment is strongly dependent
on the quality of understanding of the process. Can the valve be rein-
stalled? Is there a stopcock to manually block other entrances to the
system? Or is there no other solution than to run? What will be the
consequences of running? The higher the threat, the more the brain
reverts to basic reactions. In the case of the mechanic, he gets con-
fronted with the 3-Fs: Fighting (
“
Can I fight against the cause?
”
), flee-
ing (
Is everything so
overwhelming that I feel helplessly frozen and unable to act?
“
Can I flee from the spot?
”
) or freezing (
“
). These
are the basic survival options. The mechanic started with fighting but
soon realized that fleeing was the only real escape.
”
Stress can be managed in two directions.
Stress usually has a negative connotation. Brain Based Safety states
that stress is a very powerful and necessary tool to act safely. By
