When Abnormal Becomes Normal: How Altered Perceptions Contributed to the Ocean Ranger Oil Rig Disaster

Abstract

Using an in-depth case study of the Ocean Ranger Disaster, this paper builds on prior work showing that normalization of deviance promotes altered perceptions in crisis situations; this phenomenon can ultimately lead to disaster. Themes emerging from the case study extend theory in this area beyond the techno-centric to social practice and demonstrate the importance of social construction in normalization. A contribution is made to the literature on sensemaking and normalization by demonstrating the importance of collective sensemaking and organizational culture in avoiding future disasters. Implications for safety and future research are discussed.