IOSH Human Factors in Safety 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is work-related 'stress' and what causes it?
- Normal pressure that motivates people
- The adverse reaction people have to excessive pressures or demands placed on them, caused by factors like high workload, lack of control, poor support, and role ambiguity (Correct answer)
- A condition that only affects weak individuals
- Stress is not a recognised workplace issue
Correct answer: The adverse reaction people have to excessive pressures or demands placed on them, caused by factors like high workload, lack of control, poor support, and role ambiguity
Work-related stress is the adverse reaction to excessive or prolonged pressure. The HSE identifies six primary stressors: excessive demands, lack of control over work, insufficient support, poor relationships (including bullying), unclear role, and poorly managed change. It can cause mental and physical ill health.
Question 2: What is 'competence' in the context of human factors?
- Only having the right qualifications
- The combination of training, skills, experience and knowledge needed to perform a task safely, along with the ability to recognise limitations (Correct answer)
- Being the most experienced person in the team
- Having a degree in health and safety
Correct answer: The combination of training, skills, experience and knowledge needed to perform a task safely, along with the ability to recognise limitations
Competence comprises: the right training for the task, sufficient skills and experience, appropriate knowledge (technical and safety), the ability to apply these in practice, and critically, the ability to recognise the limits of one's competence and seek help when needed.
Question 3: How can poor communication contribute to workplace accidents?
- Communication has no impact on safety
- Through misunderstandings, unclear instructions, failure to warn of hazards, language barriers, information overload, and lack of feedback channels (Correct answer)
- Only through written communication errors
- Only when using technical jargon
Correct answer: Through misunderstandings, unclear instructions, failure to warn of hazards, language barriers, information overload, and lack of feedback channels
Poor communication contributes to accidents through: unclear or ambiguous instructions, failure to communicate changes or hazards, language barriers (multilingual workforces), information overload (too much information drowning out key messages), lack of feedback channels, poor handover procedures, and assumptions about what others know.
Question 4: What is 'human reliability assessment' (HRA)?
- A personality test for job applicants
- A systematic approach to predicting and reducing human errors in safety-critical tasks by analysing where errors are most likely (Correct answer)
- An assessment of how reliable a worker has been in the past
- A health fitness assessment for workers
Correct answer: A systematic approach to predicting and reducing human errors in safety-critical tasks by analysing where errors are most likely
HRA is a systematic method for identifying, quantifying and reducing the probability of human error in safety-critical tasks. It analyses: the tasks performed, potential errors at each step, factors that influence error probability (performance shaping factors), and measures to reduce error likelihood.
Question 5: What are 'Performance Shaping Factors' (PSFs)?
- Factors that shape how fast workers can complete tasks
- Conditions that influence the probability of human error, such as time pressure, workload, procedures, training, environment, and fatigue (Correct answer)
- Financial incentives for good performance
- Factors that determine employee pay grades
Correct answer: Conditions that influence the probability of human error, such as time pressure, workload, procedures, training, environment, and fatigue
PSFs are conditions that make human error more or less likely. They include: time pressure, workload, quality of procedures, adequacy of training, experience, fatigue, stress, environmental conditions (noise, lighting, temperature), equipment design, organisational culture, and team dynamics.
Question 6: What is 'automation complacency'?
- Being complacent about updating automated systems
- Over-reliance on automated systems leading to reduced monitoring, slower detection of failures, and degraded manual skills (Correct answer)
- Automating all safety checks
- Using automated fire alarm systems
Correct answer: Over-reliance on automated systems leading to reduced monitoring, slower detection of failures, and degraded manual skills
Automation complacency occurs when workers over-rely on automated systems, reducing their active monitoring and vigilance. This can lead to: failure to notice when automated systems malfunction, slower detection and response to problems, degraded manual skills (deskilling), and overconfidence in the system's reliability.
IOSH Human Factors in Safety 2
What is work-related 'stress' and what causes it?