Best Practices for Addressing Human Factors during PHAs/HAZOPs

Accidents and regulations underscore the need for companies to identify potential human errors and to reduce the frequency and consequences of such errors as part of an overall process safety management (PSM) program. But how does someone responsible for coordinating or performing process hazard analyses (PHAs) satisfy this need to uncover potentially important human errors without consuming too much time and too many resources? This paper describes the best approach found for integrating human factors considerations into hazard evaluations of process designs, operating procedures, and management systems. In the description of the approach, we cite OSHA's and EPA's definitions for consideration of human factors during PHAs. Critical issues related to human factors can be identified and addressed in different phases of a hazard evaluation. Case studies illustrate the effectiveness of this strategy. This paper is based on more than 2000 PHAs where all aspects of human factors were addressed, beginning with the first PHA completed for regulatory compliance in the USA (Phillips 66, 1991)