Human Factors in Safety Flashcards

What is work-related 'stress' and what causes it?

Answer: The adverse reaction people have to excessive pressures or demands placed on them, caused by factors like high workload, lack of control, poor support, and role ambiguity

Work-related stress is the adverse reaction to excessive or prolonged pressure. The HSE identifies six primary stressors: excessive demands, lack of control over work, insufficient support, poor relationships (including bullying), unclear role, and poorly managed change. It can cause mental and physical ill health.

What is 'competence' in the context of human factors?

Answer: The combination of training, skills, experience and knowledge needed to perform a task safely, along with the ability to recognise limitations

Competence comprises: the right training for the task, sufficient skills and experience, appropriate knowledge (technical and safety), the ability to apply these in practice, and critically, the ability to recognise the limits of one's competence and seek help when needed.

How can poor communication contribute to workplace accidents?

Answer: Through misunderstandings, unclear instructions, failure to warn of hazards, language barriers, information overload, and lack of feedback channels

Poor communication contributes to accidents through: unclear or ambiguous instructions, failure to communicate changes or hazards, language barriers (multilingual workforces), information overload (too much information drowning out key messages), lack of feedback channels, poor handover procedures, and assumptions about what others know.

What is 'human reliability assessment' (HRA)?

Answer: A systematic approach to predicting and reducing human errors in safety-critical tasks by analysing where errors are most likely

HRA is a systematic method for identifying, quantifying and reducing the probability of human error in safety-critical tasks. It analyses: the tasks performed, potential errors at each step, factors that influence error probability (performance shaping factors), and measures to reduce error likelihood.

What are 'Performance Shaping Factors' (PSFs)?

Answer: Conditions that influence the probability of human error, such as time pressure, workload, procedures, training, environment, and fatigue

PSFs are conditions that make human error more or less likely. They include: time pressure, workload, quality of procedures, adequacy of training, experience, fatigue, stress, environmental conditions (noise, lighting, temperature), equipment design, organisational culture, and team dynamics.

What is 'automation complacency'?

Answer: Over-reliance on automated systems leading to reduced monitoring, slower detection of failures, and degraded manual skills

Automation complacency occurs when workers over-rely on automated systems, reducing their active monitoring and vigilance. This can lead to: failure to notice when automated systems malfunction, slower detection and response to problems, degraded manual skills (deskilling), and overconfidence in the system's reliability.