Human Factors Engineering

– An Introduction

Monaco Engineering Solutions

,
Tim Southam QCVSA, BSc, C.Erg.HF, FIEHF, CFIOSH

1
Background

Electronic Design 8 Years

RAF Pilot 21 Years Jaguar GR1 /
Tornado GR1
HFE Research in MMI at RAE
Farnborough
Chartered Ergonomist - CErgHF
Chartered Health & Safety Professional -
CFIOSH
Principal Tech Safety Engineer
HFE Discipline Lead

Specialist in Virtual Reality helmet

display design, workload, Fatigue,
Human Error, Human Factors
Integration, Human Performance.
Human Factors Engineering.
Is there a Price for Safe performance?

The Rules Change Plan, think and get right first time
We Spend Lots of £s Engineering People
Layout Access / Egress Stress Fatigue
Workload
Signs / Labels Complexity Shifts
Working Hours
Physical Environment Competence
Control Interfaces Working Conditions
Maintenance Reliability Physical Demands
Vendor Packages Communication

Reactive Management Optimum Performance

User Centric Design

Start with the user End with the user

Design and
Development

• What users want

• What users need • Objective user testing
• What users know • Subjective user evaluation
• How users work • Post-deployment analysis
• User capabilities • Iteration of design
• User limitations
Technology and People in Harmony

To:

• Reduce likelihood of human error – Improved Usability

• Increase productivity – less downtime

• Reduce support cost – Increased reliability

• Reduce training time and cost – less human interaction

5
Why does it always take one of these…….

To make the changes …….

we already know we should make?
If we want to stop repeats…..

We need to resolve HFE Issues in

Incidents
Weaknesses in
21% Competence

Errors in Communication

45% 12% Failures in Procedures

Poor HFE Design

22%

Hamilton, I., (2003). Human factors in risk assessment for major accident control, Oil and Gas UK:
PIPER 25, UK, 18 June, 2013,
Engineering Design

Understanding issues within

normal operations ….

……Enables issues to be
resolved at the design stage to
minimise accidents, including
fatalities in this case

Humans should not have to adapt to Technology

– Technology should be built around the human capability

Ergonomics is about understanding human capabilities and limitations is critical

Some Common Issues:

• Poorly designed equipment

• Out of date / unworkable procedures
• Poor communications
• Inadequate Shift handovers
• Inadequate training / Competence
• Inappropriate time pressure / Targets
• Frequent distractions
• Unclear Roles and Responsibilities
• Poor Situational Awareness
Understanding People

How a smarter
approach to User
Centred Engineering
can enhance your
process performance

10
Human Factors Engineering:

Performance
Organisational
culture
Organisation
Engineering Training and
Competency
Safety Critical
Task Analysis,
Resources Situation
PHEA
Awareness
Working Hours Perception
HMI
Usability, People Stress
HAZOP Workload
Attitude
Guide-words Fatigue
Fatigue
Leadership &
Safety Critical Integrity
Alarm Handling Supervision
Communications Leadership
CRs, Screens Culture
Process Visibility M of C
Human Failure Education
Accident Invest –
Design, Packages, Alignment HEA
Access, signs,
Maintenance
Procedures Behaviour
Layout Review

Human Failure
Behavioural Based Safety

Engineering Systems Behaviours

Trends Trends

“More and more incidents involving Human Factors issues or individual behaviours” –
BUT Behaviour is not Human Factors
The Raw Material
Stress
Fatigue
Workload

Working Hours
s
t ion Shifts
p
erce
P Assumptions
Expectations
Values
Filter Beliefs  Situation
Awareness
 Gender
 Perception
Defence Mechanism  Nationality  Stress
Emotions  Parental Love  Attitude
Filter  Upbringing  Fatigue
A c t io n  Education Integrity
 Leadership
S ayin  Culture
g 
 Culture
Be li e f Life Events  Education
We Need to Understand the Threats
to Human Capability

If is isn’t simple, people will find a workaround

We Find Work-arounds
Common System Design Errors

• Example: Human-Machine Coupling

– Hand-Tool Size Mismatch

Handles get smaller,

but hand does not

Smaller handles are difficult to use by normal-sized hands

Performance Influencing Factors
• Task Factors
• Communication Factors
• Procedures and Documentation
• Ambient Environment
• Training and Experience
• Human-Machine Interaction
• Personal Factors
• Team Factors
Team co-ordination, quality, groupthink, handover / takeover, structure & dynamics, Team relationships and trust,
Maturity, inter-team co-ordination, Age, Shift organisation, assistance and support, working methods, staff
Number of tasks, Complexity, Time Pressure, Workload, non-standard activities
Communication workload, Phraseology & Standards, Language and accents,
information content, method, Quality, equipment quality and reliability
Procedure availability / access / location, No of Procedures, accuracy,
correctness, completeness, clarity, validity, format, do-ability, suitability,
compatibility
Weather, Noise, Distraction, Lighting, Temperature, Air quality
Familiarity with Task, experience, time on job, training, quality of
training, suitability of training, recency of training, competence testing,
mentoring quality.
Information accuracy / correctness, info type and format, info availability
/ access, Quality, completeness, clarity, complexity, validity, info
structure, location, position, equipment reliability, trust in equipment,
allocation of tasks between person and systems, health risks,
ergonomics, visual display quality,
Alertness / concentration / fatigue, emotional state, stress, anxiety,
boredom, confidence, complexity, job satisfaction, Domestic issues,
fitness / physical health issues, Mental health, drugs and alcohol.
availability, allocation of responsibility
The HSEs HF Issues:

These form the baseline of HFE Screening:

• Organisational change and transition management

• Procedures
• Staffing levels and workload
• Fatigue from shift-work and overtime
• Training and competence
• Communications
• Organisational culture
• Integration of human factors into risk assessment
and investigations
• Human Factors Engineering in design
• Maintenance Error
Why Human Factors Engineering?

• Improved performance
• less production downtime
• more efficient maintenance

• Understand the risks

• this involves predicting problems;
• which in-turn includes predicting the risk of probable
accident / loss scenarios,
• establishing the appropriate design and the right layers
of protection to control risk to a tolerable level.

• Improved management of Major Accident Hazards

• reduced likelihood of human error
• improved recovery from human error
• more efficient response to an emergency

• Meet Regulator’s Expectations

HFE Project Lifecycle - Process
 Human Factors Activities
Stage 3: Stage 4: Stage 5: Stage 6:
Stages 1 & 2:
Development of Initial design Initial design Final review &
Scope definition,
initial design validation approval FEED reporting
planning and FEED
deliverables and
kick off
HAZID

HF
Policy

Initial design Design Approval for

Initial design
Development & Approval Construction
HF Screening Review
Hazard Identification (AFD) (AFC)

HF Integration Review of safety HF Support for

HF Strategy SCTA Review PUWER
Plan Critical Procedures

Operator
Engagement
Control Room
Workshops HF Support for
Analysis Review
Vendor Package
Specific consideration will be give to typical
HFE design activities:
Working Environment Health Risk Assessment HMI Assessment
Valve Criticality Analysis Review
HF Support for
Vendor package screening HAZID/HAZOP
Task Requirements Analysis
Human Machine Interface (HMI) requirement Alarm
Management
analysis
Analysis Review
Control room requirements analysis FAT Review of
Control system and alarm management ICSS
analysis HF Support for
HAZID/HAZOP
Safety critical task inventory
[Continual Support
Critical task analysis through Project]
Human error ALARP demonstration.
HFE Screening
Human Factors Issues Register
Reference HF Issue Description Actionee Date Close- Close-out Date
No. out comment Required
status
HF1 Competence
HF2 Work demands
HF 3 Working conditions
HF 4 SC Communication
HF 5 Physical demands
HF 7 Human Failure
HF 8 Human Reliability
HF 9 Culture
HF 10 Layout
HF 11 Access & Egress
HF 12 Signs & Labelling
HF 13 Novelty
HF 14 Complexity
HF 15 Physical characteristics
HF 16 Physical Environment
HF 17 Control Interface
HF 18 Maintenance
HF 19 HF in Design
HF 20 Human Interaction
HF 21 Vendor equipment
HF 22 Temporary equipment
HF 23 Hazard Identification
HF 24 Safety Report
HF 25 Emergency Response
HF 26 Procedures
HF 27 Documentation
HF 28 Training
HF 29 Work positioning /
Ergonomic considerations
Enough Said
HFE Guidance on Valves
Dedicated Processes
 Safety Critical Task Analysis
HFE HFE in  PHEA / HFW
Inputs Engineering  Usability / HMI
Training and Competency
 HAZOPs
Design  Alarm Handling
Resources
 Screen Mimics Workload / Working hours
Organisational  Process Visibility Leadership / Supervision
 Packages MoC
Issues  Signs, Access, Layout Alignment / Integration
 Procedures

People  Loss of Situational Awareness

 Fatigue
Issues  Human Error Analysis
 Behaviours

Active  Failed to follow procedures

Failures
 Poor Risk Assessment

Failed or  Done that way before

Absent Defences  Tried to manage situation
 Didn’t shut down

Major Accident
Hazard (MAH)
Principles of Human Factors

• Humans are fallible . . . Even the best people make

mistakes.
• Error-Likely Situations are . . . Predictable, manageable
and preventable.
• Individual behaviour is influenced by . . . Organisational
processes and values.
• Behaviours are reinforced . . . People achieve higher
levels of performance
• Events are avoidable . . . By understanding the reasons
mistakes occur. By applying lessons learned
 HFE Integration is a smarter
approach that will enhance
process performance

tim.southam@mes-international.com
+44 (0) 1372 227 997 ext. 315