Human Factors in Safety Flashcards
6 cards from real IOSH practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Human Factors in Safety flashcards as text
What is the 'Swiss Cheese Model' and how does it relate to human factors?
Answer: James Reason's model showing how accidents result from the alignment of failures (holes) across multiple defensive layers, with human factors influencing each layer
Reason's Swiss Cheese Model shows that organisations have multiple layers of defence against accidents. Each layer has weaknesses (holes) — from organisational culture and management decisions down to individual errors. An accident occurs when holes in multiple layers align, allowing a hazard to pass through all defences.
How can task design reduce human error?
Answer: By simplifying procedures, reducing cognitive demands, providing clear feedback, standardising processes, and matching tasks to human capabilities
Good task design reduces error by: simplifying procedures (reducing unnecessary steps), standardising processes, providing clear and immediate feedback, designing tasks that match human capabilities and limitations, reducing reliance on memory, and building in checks and verification at critical points.
What is 'perception of risk' and why does it matter?
Answer: How people subjectively assess the level of risk, which can differ significantly from the objective risk level and influence their behaviour
Risk perception is how individuals subjectively judge the level of risk. It can differ significantly from objective risk assessments due to: familiarity (familiar risks seem less dangerous), personal experience, perceived control, dread factors, and media influence. When perception is wrong, behaviour may be inappropriately safe or unsafe.
What is 'normalisation of deviance'?
Answer: The gradual process by which unacceptable practices or standards become acceptable over time as people get used to them
Normalisation of deviance (coined by Diane Vaughan studying the Challenger disaster) is when shortcuts, rule violations, or degraded standards gradually become accepted as normal because 'nothing bad has happened'. Over time, the boundary of acceptable practice shifts until a serious incident occurs.
How does worker wellbeing influence safety performance?
Answer: Physical and mental wellbeing directly affect concentration, decision-making, physical capability, risk perception, and engagement with safety practices
Worker wellbeing directly influences safety through: concentration and alertness, quality of decision-making, physical capability and coordination, willingness to follow procedures, engagement with safety practices, reporting behaviour, and team dynamics. Poor wellbeing (stress, fatigue, illness) impairs all of these.
What is 'procedural drift' and how can it be prevented?
Answer: The gradual deviation from established procedures over time, often due to perceived inefficiency, which can be prevented through monitoring, reinforcement and procedure review
Procedural drift occurs when workers gradually deviate from established procedures, often because the procedure seems unnecessarily cumbersome, or shortcuts are taken without immediate consequence. Prevention includes: regular monitoring and observation, reinforcing the importance of procedures, updating procedures to ensure they're practical, and addressing the root causes of drift.