You’re getting ready to perform your pressure testing and the boss says the six-pack of Nitrogen or Oxygen (he can’t remember which) is out back. You walk out back and this is all you see… what do you do? By the way, pressure testing with Oxygen is illegal in most states and VERY UNSAFE in […]
To address human factors in workplace safety settings, peoples’ capabilities and limitations must first be understood. The modern working environment is very different from the settings that humans have evolved to deal with. This section examines human characteristics that can lead to difficulties interacting with the working environment. The main factors involved include: Attention –
Last August I posted an incident where a 3rd party carrier unloading his/her NH3 truck to an LPG storage tank (SAFTENG Membership content). The contents of the LPG tank had to be burned/flared off which took around 60 hours. There were no injuries in that incident, but the consequences of such an error could be catastrophic. And unfortunately,
This is 100% real… you can’t make this stuff up! WHAT THE HELL were they thinking?
The topic of human factors (HF) is often times misunderstood and sadly sometimes not even a thought during a Process Design/Engineering Review or a Process Hazards Analysis. Now I know some of you will scream… “we are not a refinery” so there is no need for us to go to this level in our efforts
One of the best books in my career is the first edition of “Field Guide to Human Error Investigations” (pdf) by Dr. Sidney Dekker (Ph.D. in Cognitive Systems Engineering); which then became “The Field Guide to Understanding Human Error” (2nd Edition). Those of you in the Process Safety arena have some baseline knowledge of “Human
A lot of vital information is packed into a 10-minute presentation! Dr. Pupulidy is a professor at the University of Alabama’s (UAB) Master of Engineering with a concentration in Advanced Safety and Engineering Management program. Which by the way I am proud to say is a “Partner in Safety” with SAFTENG; in fact, they use
As we know “human factors” are specifically called in the OSHA’s PSM standard and EPA’s Risk Management Plan and even more specifically they are part of our Process Hazards Analysis (PHA). However, many do not understand what “human factors” are all about, so I thought I would share another picture I captured in my travels to
The methodology is used to identify and assess critical tasks. Its implementation involves five (5) phases. Identify Critical Tasks Performed Analyze each Critical Task to the Appropriate Level of Detail Qualitatively Assess Risks Associated with Critical Tasks Identify Risk Control Strategies Incorporate the Results of Applying the Methodology into the Safety Case
Since the 1980s, Active and Latent failures have been a major part of Human Factors Engineering, we have all done it at some point in our careers… an accident happens, and we go straight to the obvious ACTIVE FAILURES and point to those as the sole cause of the incident; until one day a more
