Human Factors Engineering

Over the past several years, I have focused on my SMS/HF postings rather than the traditional technical postings. Being a safety pro means we wear many hats. I break these down into just two (2) main categories: 1) Technical and 2) Management Systems, including the soft skills we need to possess. Those who have followed…...

The Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO) manages the Significant Event and Information Network for its member utilities both within and outside the United States. In 1985 they issued an analysis of 180 significant event reports received in 1983- 84 (INPO 1985).  A total of 387 root causes were identified. These were assigned to five…...

Before disciplining a worker for an “error” or “mistake” that led to undesired consequences, we need to ask ourselves one simple question… How often have we written 2022 when signing checks and documents this year? It is February 15th, 46 days into the new year, yet I just had to correct a document that I…...

For most senior safety professionals, we have arrived at a place in our careers where we can understand the significance of what Dr. Reason said in 1997.  Although most would agree, we started our careers in a very different place when it comes to how we derived the root causes of accidents throughout our careers. …...

The significance (or severity) of an event depends upon the consequences suffered and not on the error that initiates it. The error that triggers a serious accident … and the error that is one of hundreds with no consequences… can be the same error.   Human Error, James Reason, Department of Psychology University of Manchester,…...

I am a big believer in Root Cause Analyzes, and Corrective Action Plans to address our findings from an incident investigation – It just does not get more fundamental than this in industrial safety. Early in my career, I worked for a great man who was ALL ABOUT his employees. He was undoubtedly the most…...

Northwest Airlines Flight 255, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82, crashed in Romulus, Michigan, shortly after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport on August 16, 1987, at about 8:46 p.m. It killed all six crew members and 148 passengers, and two people on the ground. There was only one survivor, it was a 4-year-old girl who sustained…...