Human factors are concerned with optimizing human performance in all tasks and in major hazard workplaces; the primary intention is to achieve safe performance. These high-risk workplaces should have conducted risk assessments and established a range of controls to prevent major accidents. Still, they should also focus on human performance issues to eliminate or reduce human failures.
An organization’s safety management system (SMS) can be considered the organization’s integrated set of processes that support human performance. The SMS implements policies, organizes resources, and measures performance. Safety culture affects the way management and the workforce approach safety and has a direct influence on the success of the SMS.
A good starting point for developing an understanding of human factors, safety management, and safety culture issues is the Energy Institute’s Human Factors briefing notes and the UK’s HSE Managing Human Performance briefing notes.