HUMAN FACTORS IN ACCIDENT CAUSATION
The article on At-risk Behaviors in Accident Causation briefly explained the reasons people sometimes exhibit at-risk behavior. This short article will address what is called the ‘human factors element’.
The study of human factors in the United States got its start in the Air Force. Pilots who flew aircraft often under stressful conditions would occasionally flip the wrong switch or push the wrong button, resulting too often in significant damage or even total loss of the aircraft. It was discovered through exhaustive causal factor investigation that the design of the instrument panel and controls were very confusing. Furthermore, the location and appearance of some critical switches were not consistent in all of the aircraft.
We learned from the Air Force experience and years of subsequent study that the design and construction of products, machines, equipment, etc. plays an important role in accident causation….. or preferably, accident prevention.
When designing a product, machine or process, consideration must be given to how a person will perceive and interact with it. Too often we are called in after an injury to evaluate a product or machine. Sometimes we discover that an adequate analysis was not performed during design and construction or adequate warnings were not present based on anticipated use of the item. Other times we find no deficiency on the part of the product or machine but rather the injured party was incentivized for some reason to ignore warnings or safety features of the item.
At General Health & Safety Services, we evaluate the design of products, displays, control panels and other material components such a guards to minimize the potential for human error. It is also important to review product literature such as sales brochures, specification sheets and owners/operators manuals.
