Human Factors

Indicators of Human Factors ProblemsAccidents where human error is a causeOccupational health reports of mental or physical ill-healthHigh absenteeism or sickness ratesHigh staff turnover levelsLow level of compliance with h&s rulesBehaviour issues identified in risk assessmentsComplaints from staff about working conditions or job-design

Common Human Failures in AccidentsJob Factors:Illogical design of equipment & instrumentsConstant disturbances or interruptionsMissing or unclear instructionsPoorly maintained equipmentHigh workloadNoisy & unpleasant working conditions

Common Human Failures in AccidentsIndividual Factors:Low skill & competence levelsTired staffBored or disheartened staffIndividual medical problems

Common Human Failures in AccidentsOrganisation & Management Factors:Poor work planning, leading to high work pressureLack of safety systems and barriersInadequate responses to previous incidentsManagement based on one-way communicationDeficient co-ordination and responsibilitiesPoor management of health & safetyPoor health & safety culture

Human FailuresErrors (not intended)SlipsLapsesMistakesViolations (deliberate)RoutineSituationalExceptional

Human Failures

SlipsActions-not-as-plannedExamples:Performing an action too soon in a procedureCarrying out an action with too much or too little strength (e.g. over-torquing a bolt)Switching the wrong switchMoving switch up rather than downCarrying out the wrong check on the right item

LapsesForgetting to carry out an actionLose our place in a taskCan be due to interruptions or distractionsExample:Forgetting to fill switchgear with oil?

MistakesDoing the wrong thing, believing it to be rightConsist of:Rule-basedKnowledge-based

Routine ViolationsBreaking the rule has become a normal way of working within the work group. This can be due to:Desire to cut corners to save time & energyPerception that rules are too restrictiveBelief that rules no longer applyLack of enforcement of the ruleNew workers starting a job where routine violations are the norm and not realising that this is not the correct way of working

Situational ViolationsBreaking rule is due to pressures from the job such as:being under time pressureinsufficient staff for the workloadright equipment not being availableextreme weather conditions

Exceptional ViolationsRarely happen and only then when something has gone wrongTo solve a new problem you feel you need to break a rule even though you are aware that you will be taking a risk

Influences on behaviour at WorkPersonalityAttitudeMotivationExperienceAptitudeIntelligencePerception

PersonalityThe study of what makes each of us a distinct personSome characteristics are shared by all human beingsEach person is different in some respects

AttitudeA persons point of view, or their way of looking at somethingInfluences the way a person reacts in a certain situationBoth good and bad attitudes are contagious

Attitude FormationAttitudes are primarily dependant on:Early childhoodSchoolingIntelligenceExperiencesProgress (or the reverse)Economics

AptitudeA persons talent for doing somethingEducation should give knowledge and help to form correct attitudes, while training and practice are necessary for aptitude

MotivationThat which makes an individual act as they do - their reason for doing somethingA drive can be either:Appetitive - towards something we wantAversive - avoiding something unpleasantAn event that is followed with reward is likely to recur (positive reinforcement)An event that is followed with punishment is likely to desist (negative reinforcement)

ExperienceWith increasing experience we expect more competence and an increase in ability to cope with situationsHowever, there is a tendency to cut corners, as shown in the graph:

Accident FrequencyTimeAgeExperience

IntelligenceThere needs to be enough mental stimulation, but not too muchA person with low intelligence may find even a routine, mundane job very taxingIf a person of high intelligence is set a mundane task, he will probably employ himself in finding new and less arduous, but not necessarily safer, ways of completing a task

Sensory Defects & ScreeningSensory defects increase with age and failing healthWe screen out things we are not interested in or consider not worth listening toWe can go into auto-pilot mode, which saves effort and allows us to concentrate on other things, or think ahead. This is useful, but causes many accidents

Perception of DangerFactors involved in perception:Signals from sensory receptorsExpected information from memorySignals from sensory receptors and memory can be misleading, particularly if we are affected by stress, alcohol, drugs, fatigue or just familiarity

Perceptual SetAlso called a mind setWhen we have a problem, immediately we perceive not only the problem, but the answerFurther evidence may become available which sows our original perception to be faulty, but we are so busy congratulating ourselves on our intelligent solution that we fail to see alternative causes & solutions

Perceptual DistortionPerceptions get distortedThings which are to our advantage always tend to be more right than those which are to our disadvantage

Errors in Perception Caused by Physical StressorsConsider effects of:fatigueoverworkovertimestress from work and homeShift work is a major factorOur bodies operate best when we have a regular routine

Perception and the Assessment of RiskIn assessing a risk, there is safety in numbersOne persons faulty perception of a risk could be corrected by another persons clearer perceptionPerception also depends upon knowledge & experience - a group will have more to contribute