Human Factors Engineering

I came across this arrangement, and we debated the position of this valve for 20 minutes, and 7 of us never came to an agreement. We even looked at other tanks that had this valve, and they were different. The valve shown below had its handle reversed as the tank’s ladder was in the way…...

I have shared many funny and confusing safety signs and labels. This one is another example of how NOT to write your warning label. Not only is it the LAST of six warnings, but can you see anything else with its failure… THANKS, Travis Rhoden, MS, CSP… Membership Required You must be a member to...

You have to wonder if the creator(s) knew exactly what they were doing or if they were totally clueless. But what do you see when you look at the Emergency Exit map Of The Marriott Marquis San Diego. Thanks to ___________ (who wished to remain anonymous – why I am not sure) for their contribution…....

I am a Toyota Tundra loyalist, but every vehicle has “quirks” that make me scratch my head and wonder, “What were they thinking”? As a side note, I drove many rental vehicles when traveling a lot at the peak of my consulting. It would take me 1-2 minutes to get my seat and mirrors set;…...

Although this advisory circular is for Commercial Human Space Flight, it can be applied to High-Risk activities in an industrial setting, such as process safety matters. The single most significant gap I see in past PHAs is the Human Factor(s) analyses. In some cases, I cannot even recognize the methodology used in the PHA. In…...

Here is a GREAT “self-assessment” tool, just eight (8) questions, to evaluate your facility’s ability to investigate and perform causal analysis properly…. Membership Required You must be a member to access this content.View Membership LevelsAlready a member? Log in here...

The Dirty Dozen highlights the most frequently observed human-related issues discovered during Fiscal Year 2022 agency mishaps and close-call investigations. Throughout the year, these issues contributed to $3,310,298.74 in damage costs and 630 workdays of lost time…. Membership Required You must be a member to access this content.View Membership LevelsAlready a member? Log in here...

In Reason’s Swiss Cheese model, there are four “slices “or tiers of human error potential, divided into two sections: an “active” layer and “Latent Factors”: preconditions, Supervision, and Organization. The goal of the Human Factors Analysis and Classification System (HFACS) is to understand human factors throughout the system rather than stopping at the operator. Most…...

Let’s have a little fun while we challenge your knowledge of human factors.  Which speed control sign is most effective, and which would be the least effective? NOTE: If you have attended one of my safety training courses where I use this in the HF training, don’t ruin it for others… Membership Required You must...