IOSH Human Factors in Safety 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is 'Just Culture' in health and safety?
- A culture where everyone is treated equally regardless of their safety performance
- An approach that distinguishes between genuine human error, at-risk behaviour, and reckless behaviour — with proportionate responses to each (Correct answer)
- A culture where all incidents are treated as criminal offences
- A culture where blame is always allocated after an incident
Correct answer: An approach that distinguishes between genuine human error, at-risk behaviour, and reckless behaviour — with proportionate responses to each
A Just Culture distinguishes between: human errors (consoled — support the person), at-risk behaviours (coached — help them understand the risk), and reckless behaviours (sanctioned — deliberate, conscious disregard). This proportionate approach encourages reporting while maintaining accountability.
Question 2: How does shift work affect health and safety?
- Shift work has no health effects
- Shift work can cause sleep disruption, fatigue, digestive problems, increased accident rates, cardiovascular issues, and social/family difficulties (Correct answer)
- Shift work only affects workers over 50
- Shift work is only problematic for night shifts
Correct answer: Shift work can cause sleep disruption, fatigue, digestive problems, increased accident rates, cardiovascular issues, and social/family difficulties
Shift work, particularly night and rotating shifts, can cause: circadian rhythm disruption, chronic fatigue, sleep disorders, gastrointestinal problems, increased cardiovascular risk, higher accident rates (particularly on night shifts and near shift changes), mental health effects, and social/family difficulties.
Question 3: What is 'error proofing' (poka-yoke) in workplace design?
- Making workers proof against being blamed for errors
- Designing equipment, processes and systems so that errors are either impossible to make or are immediately detected and corrected (Correct answer)
- Testing workers to see if they make errors
- A quality control method for manufactured products only
Correct answer: Designing equipment, processes and systems so that errors are either impossible to make or are immediately detected and corrected
Error proofing (poka-yoke) involves designing systems, equipment and processes so that errors either cannot be made (prevention) or are immediately obvious when they occur (detection). Examples include: plugs that only fit one way, interlocks that prevent dangerous sequences, and colour-coding of connections.
Question 4: What is the role of 'leadership' in human factors and safety culture?
- Leadership has no influence on safety culture
- Leaders shape safety culture through their visible commitment, decisions, resource allocation, behaviours, and the standards they set and enforce (Correct answer)
- Only the CEO influences safety culture
- Leadership is only important during emergencies
Correct answer: Leaders shape safety culture through their visible commitment, decisions, resource allocation, behaviours, and the standards they set and enforce
Leaders at all levels shape safety culture through: visible personal commitment to safety, making safety a priority in decisions, allocating adequate resources, modelling safe behaviours, setting clear expectations, rewarding safe performance, addressing unsafe behaviour, and communicating openly about safety issues.
Question 5: What is 'cognitive overload' and how does it affect safety?
- Having too many safety rules to remember
- When the demands on a person's mental processing capacity exceed their ability to cope, leading to errors, poor decisions and missed information (Correct answer)
- Being intellectually overqualified for a job
- Having too many training courses to complete
Correct answer: When the demands on a person's mental processing capacity exceed their ability to cope, leading to errors, poor decisions and missed information
Cognitive overload occurs when too many demands compete for a person's limited mental processing capacity. It leads to: missed information, poor decision-making, increased errors, inability to prioritise, tunnel vision, and failure to detect changes. It can be caused by multitasking, interruptions, time pressure, and complex procedures.
Question 6: What is 'groupthink' and why is it a safety concern?
- A team brainstorming technique
- A phenomenon where the desire for group consensus overrides realistic assessment of risks, leading to poor decisions (Correct answer)
- Thinking about safety as a group activity
- A type of safety committee
Correct answer: A phenomenon where the desire for group consensus overrides realistic assessment of risks, leading to poor decisions
Groupthink occurs when a group's desire for consensus and harmony suppresses dissenting views, critical thinking, and realistic risk assessment. In safety contexts, it can lead to: ignoring warning signs, suppressing concerns, taking excessive risks, and making poor decisions because no one challenges the prevailing view.
IOSH Human Factors in Safety 3
What is 'Just Culture' in health and safety?