According to the Health and Safety Executive: "Human factors refer to environmental, organisational and job factors, and human and individual characteristics which influence behaviour at work in a way which can affect health and safety".

In any workplace, and during any workplace activity, there is a complex interaction between factors relating to job, individual and organisation. This complex interaction can have a profound health and safety implications.

Tasks need to be ergonomically designed and matched to the capabilities of the individual employees carrying them out. This matching of the job to the person should involve both a physical match , including the design of the workplace and of the working environment, and a mental match, involving the individuals's information and decision-making rquirements and their perception of the task and its risks.

Individual's vary with regard to their attitudes, skills, habits and personalities and these differences can have important influences upon task-related behaviour. Sometimes these influences are straightforward and obvious. However, iften they are complex and much more difficult to identify. Whereas some factors, such as skills and attitudes, can be influenced and modified, others, such as personality, ar much more fixed and resistant.

Although organisational factors have a major influence over individual and group behaviour, they are often ignored. This is true both at the design stage and at the investigation stage following an accident or incident. Cultural factors can exert enormous pressure upon individuals and lead to them adopting behaviour patterns out of a wish to conform. Unfortunately, these cultural pressures can be both negative andd positive with regard to health and safety matters. There is little point in a culture which urges conformity to the rules, if those rules are themselves suspect from a health and safety standpoint.

As work equipment design has improved and work procedures have become tighter, so the emphasis has shifted onto human factors. According to the Health and Safety Executive: "It is estimated that up to 80% of accidents may be attributed, at least in part, to the actions or omissions of people". However, although people may be directly involved it is often the underlying organisational problems that are at the root of the matter. This organisational issues often involve design, managerial and decision-making failures. Trust between employer and employees and open, two-way communications are vital if organisational failures are to be identified and rectified before they lead to human failures and consequently to accidents.

The Health and Safety Executive believe that human failures are caused by human error and/or violations. Examples of accidents involving human failure include: the Three Mile Island nuclear reactor incident, the King's Cross Underground Station Fire, the Clapham Junction rail crash and the sinking of the Herald of Free Enterprise. Although a human failing was the direct cause of the accident in each case, underlying organisational failures led to the human failing.

Human failings can lead to active or latent consequences. Latent failures can, for example, occur at the design stage and not lead to serious problems until much later. Poor training can also, ultimately, lead to latent failure. Active failures have immediate consequences, such as failing to observe the no-smoking rule when working in a flammable atmosphere.

Human Factors | Human Error | Violations | HS(G)65