The Psychology of Routine Discretion: Accident Screening by British Factory Inspectors*

It is well recognized that discretion over the day to day enforcement of law is often exercised routinely by “repeat players.” However, the psychology of repetitive, routine decision making has not received particular attention. An empirical study of factory inspectors' discretion in screening accidents for investigation was conducted, using interviews with inspectors and analysis of records. The paper analyzes the selection decision as a process of categorization that attends simultaneously to characteristics of the accident, the legal and organizational context, and normal responses within the agency, in a way that maximizes cognitive economy. The paper suggests that, with experience, skill at routine decision making comes to be exercised towards the “automatic” end of a continuum from ‘automatic’ (non‐conscious) to (consciously) “controlled” processing of information. Since data are available on accidents not selected as well as those selected, the implications of inspectors' decision strategies can be examined.