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Human Factors: Where are we? Process industries and Human Factors: Where are we? Human Factors: Where are we? It’s all about us • Area that seems poorly understood • But a subject matter that will be familiar to most people • Definition: “Human factors refers to environmental, organisational and job factors and human and individual characteristics which influence behaviour at work in a way which can affect safety” Human Factors: Where are we? Human Factors and Safety Technology Number of Accidents Management Systems Human Factors Time How to achieve the last step? Human Factors: Where are we? PRISM Human Factors Network • Objectives: The improvement of safety in the European process industries trough raising awareness of, and sharing experience in, the application of Human Factors approaches and stimulating their development and improvement to address industry relevant problems in batch and continuous process industries. Human Factors: Where are we? PRISM Orientation Focus on : Cultural and organisational factors Optimising human performance Human factors in high demand situations Human factors as a part of the engineering design process Human Factors: Where are we? 1. Cultural and Organisational Factors 2.Optimising human performance 3.Human factors in high demand situations 4.Human factors as a part of the engineering design process Human Factors: Where are we? Safety Culture Leadership Management commitment and support Employee involvement Teamworking Participation Behaviour Human Factors: Where are we? Safety Culture: a definition? • “The way things are done” • “The attitude of staff” • “Beliefs, norms and behavioural dispositions that impact on safety” What is your definition? What does a good culture look like? Human Factors: Where are we? Safety Climate • “The concrete way to approach Safety Culture” • “The tangible outputs of the Safety Culture as viewed by individual group at a particular point in time” • Measurement through surveys, questionnaires. Do the questionnaires hide the safety culture of the company? Human Factors: Where are we? Team working: Definition • “A high-performing team of 5-15 people, with the technical skills , knowledge and authority to make decisions that would formerly have been made by a supervisor. • They are appointed to manage themselves because the team members are the most familiar with the task they perform, therefore are the best to make improvements.” Human Factors: Where are we? Team working • Strong and positive relationship can exist between selfmanaged team and safety More involvement in safety management Maintenance of good safety performances with safer working practices Human Factors: Where are we? Behavioural safety: key principles • Programme ownership • Definition of safe and unsafe behaviours • Establishment of a baseline • Training • • • • • Observation Feedback Reinforcement Goal-setting Review Human Factors: Where are we? Barriers and pitfalls • It can take a long time to see the benefits • Employees may dislike the idea of observing others and being observed • Existing communications can be overloaded with the information produced • … This can lead to inaction and discouragement Human Factors: Where are we? Success factors • Active participation of workforce and management • Issue card reminders and checklists of behaviours that need to be observed • Constantly reinforce and encourage behavioural change Human Factors: Where are we? 1. Cultural and Organisational Factors 2.Optimising human performance 3.Human factors in high demand situations 4.Human factors as a part of the engineering design process Human Factors: Where are we? Optimising Human Performance Through: Procedures Training Incorporation of Human Factors in the design process (cf FG4) Human Factors: Where are we? Procedures and compliance • Well known fact: people don’t respect procedures! WHY? Complex, not updated, too restrictive, do not describe the best way to do the job… Are the procedures written to help the readers or to protect the writer? Human Factors: Where are we? My procedure will ensure the task is performed correctly Procedures I know how to do this task, I don’t need a procedure Do we need a procedure for each task? Human Factors: Where are we? Decision Aid High Task Criticality Task Familiarity Medium Low Task Complexity Freq Infreq Rare Freq Infreq Rare Freq Infreq Rare NWI NWI JA NWI NWI JA NWI NWI NWI Medium NWI JA SBS NWI NWI JA NWI NWI NWI High JA JA SBS NWI JA SBS NWI NWI JA Low No Written Instruction required: NWI Job Aid required e.g checklist/memory aid: JA Step By Step instruction required: SBS Human Factors: Where are we? Training and competence Training helps people acquire the skills, knowledge and attitudes to make them competent in the health and safety aspects of their works. Human Factors: Where are we? Training •Should be defined as a function of the needs found in the plant What does the trainee need to learn? What skills? •Implementation of a training management Annual training plan, training team, assessment, refreshment… Human Factors: Where are we? 1. Cultural and Organisational Factors 2.Optimising human performance 3.Human factors in high demand situations 4.Human factors as a part of the engineering design process Human Factors: Where are we? Cognitive task load analysis •Time occupied •Level of information processing •Task set switching The combination of the three load factors determines the cognitive task load Human Factors: Where are we? 3D Cognitive Model High task load Task load matches operator mental capacity Sub optimal performance due to under load Human Factors: Where are we? The TNO model Association of : Function analysis Cognitive task load analysis The integration of both these models in combination with a scenario-based context assessment will help identify potential high demand situations. Human Factors: Where are we? Why alarm handling? A wide issue about assuring the human response to an alarm Operators routinely ignore alarm in the plant control room Operators facing as few as 10 alarms a minute in an emergency will quickly abandon the alarm list to reduce stress. They will find a way to solve the problem without using the alarms. Human Factors: Where are we? How to face this problem? Implementation of an alarm philosophy Notify operators of events required more focused attention Help to prioritise response Guide operator towards most appropriate response Human Factors: Where are we? Benefits • Easier to interpret alarms for operators • Better control of processes • Help avoid accidents “A typical plant can save approximately $3 500 000 per year by providing good control during plant incidents and transition events such as start-ups, feed changes, etc.” Human Factors: Where are we? 1. Cultural and Organisational Factors 2.Optimising human performance 3.Human factors in high demand situations 4.Human factors as a part of the engineering design process Human Factors: Where are we? “We cannot change the Human Condition but we can change the conditions in which humans work.” James Reason Human Factors: Where are we? How to incorporate HF in the design process? To take human factors into account as part of the process engineering design process requires the design of: – Equipment, – Operations, – Procedures, – Work environments. such that they are compatible with the capabilities, limitations and needs of the workers Human Factors: Where are we? Procedure to reduce Human Errors within a project Identification of Errors Causes Task analysis Action error analysis Performance shaping factor Design solution to address the Error Causes Human Factors: Where are we? Task analysis • Identification of the list of human operations performed and their relation to the system task • Specification of the systems’ manning level • Identification of training needs • Writing of operating procedures Associated tools: Hierarchical task analysis Human Factors: Where are we? Action error analysis • Review of plant safety in case the operator acts wrongly or does not act at all • Check of the operators workload in case of demands occurring simultaneously or in fast sequence • Review if the operator is able to relate alarm and the cause clearly Associated tools: the cognitive support model Human Factors: Where are we? Performance shaping factors Identify if there could be factors that affect the task performance stress, work procedures, quality of work environment… Human Factors: Where are we? Design solution to address the error causes Automation Maintainability and Operability Designing to reduce Human Error Precursors Process Control and Monitoring Process Operations and Layout Work Environment Human Factors: Where are we? Conclusion • No more need to demonstrate that Human Factors improve Safety • Which will be the next step? Too soon to think about it: still a long way to go with Human Factors More information available on: www.prism-network.org Human Factors: Where are we? Thank you for your attention