Human Factors in Safety Flashcards

What is 'safety motivation' and how can it be improved?

Answer: The internal and external factors that drive people to behave safely, improved through leadership, participation, recognition, fair treatment, and understanding the purpose of safety rules

Safety motivation is influenced by: visible leadership commitment, worker participation in safety decisions, recognition of safe behaviour, understanding why rules exist (not just what they are), fair and consistent treatment, trust in the organisation, and seeing that safety concerns are acted upon.

What is the impact of 'time pressure' on human error?

Answer: Time pressure significantly increases error rates by reducing attention to detail, encouraging shortcuts, and compromising decision-making quality

Time pressure is one of the most significant performance shaping factors. It increases error rates by: reducing attention to detail, encouraging shortcuts and procedural violations, impairing decision-making quality, reducing checking and verification, increasing stress, and narrowing attention (tunnel vision).

What is 'distraction' as a human factor and how can it be managed?

Answer: Any stimulus that diverts attention from the task at hand, managed through task design, work environment controls, procedures, and awareness training

Distractions divert attention from safety-critical tasks. Sources include: interruptions from colleagues, phone calls, noise, competing tasks, personal worries, and environmental factors. Management strategies include: minimising interruptions during critical tasks, designing quiet work environments, awareness training, and procedures for handling interruptions safely.

What is 'peer pressure' in relation to workplace safety?

Answer: The influence of colleagues on an individual's behaviour, which can be positive (encouraging safe practices) or negative (encouraging shortcuts)

Peer pressure can be positive (team members encouraging safe practices, speaking up about hazards) or negative (pressure to take shortcuts, ridicule for wearing PPE, pressure to keep up with production). A positive safety culture harnesses peer influence to promote safe behaviour.

How does 'training and competence' relate to human factors?

Answer: Adequate training and maintained competence reduce error likelihood, but must be complemented by good system design, procedures and supervision

Training is essential but not sufficient alone. It: builds knowledge and skills, develops hazard awareness, establishes safe habits, and builds confidence. However, training alone cannot prevent all errors — it must be supported by well-designed systems, practical procedures, adequate supervision, and a supportive organisational culture.

What is 'confirmation bias' and how does it affect safety?

Answer: The tendency to search for, interpret and recall information that confirms existing beliefs, potentially causing people to overlook hazards that don't match their expectations

Confirmation bias causes people to: notice information that supports what they already believe, ignore or discount contradictory evidence, interpret ambiguous information in line with their expectations, and fail to recognise hazards that don't match their mental model. This can lead to missed warnings and poor decisions.