Perspectives on Human Factors in Today's Shifting Operating Environments

A significant number of catastrophic incidents that has occurred in the past are primarily due to human factors.   More and more organizations are finding that their approaches to reducing risks are failing them despite the use of advanced automation, management systems and training.  The key to prevention comes from gaining a comprehensive understanding of the root causes of individual incidents and addressing them holistically by considering their relation to other incidents - whether they are at the facility, site, business or within the wider operating environment of the organization and the industry.

This paper will examine Human Factors in relationship to shifts in today’s operating environments.   It will ask if there are “at risk” conditions or changes in the organization, or among workers that are not being fully identified, defined and considered during the lifecycle of an organization, facility and/or process.  In doing so the paper will explore and share organizational insights related to the following key areas:

• How expectations affect behavior and the role of biases and preconceptions in human error;
• The critical need to deepen incident investigations; and
• Why technical solutions and automation may not be sufficient.

The above will also be reviewed from the perspective of operational discipline, an expanded view of leadership and the power of interdependent culture with relevant examples as appropriate.

Whether applied to safety, operational excellence, or capital projects the insights provided in this paper will help readers appreciate the opportunities to broaden, as well as deepen their human factors perspectives to reduce their risks and strengthen their organization’s performance at all levels.