Research Areas/Expertise

• Human factors, health and safety in the oil and gas industry
• Physical and psychosocial work environment in relation to health and safety 
   on offshore installations
• Shift work, long work hours, FIFO work: performance and health effects
• Individual differences: personality, coping, and adaptation
• Work-life balance, lifestyle, and health
• Organizational interventions to reduce work stress
• Field research methodologies

Research Fellow
School of Psychology
University of Western Australia

 

WA:ERA projects

The Role of Human Factors and Organisational Attributes in Early Life Equipment Failures
(Key Researcher)

 

Background

Katharine has extensive experience of leading research projects in the broad area of human factors, health, and safety at work; over the past decade, the UK oil/gas industry has been the main focus of this work. Most of the research relates to the North Sea work environment; topics studied include the demands and constraints of offshore work in relation to health and safety outcomes, the scheduling of day/night shift work in relation to performance, alertness and sleep, long work hours among senior offshore personnel, temporal and work-related factors in relation to accidents, and the use of offshore medical facilities. The research also includes studies of the families of offshore workers.

Education

MA
MSc
PhD
FBPsS

 

Grants

Further funding from the UK Health and Safety Executive for an investigation of current working time arrangements in the North Sea oil/gas industry

 

Publications

List of Publications (PDF)

Contact

Email: kathy.parkes(at)psy.ox.ac.uk