Human Factors & Incident Investigation - from Kelvin TOP-SET®

What is Human Factors?

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) defines human factors as 'the environmental, organisational and job factors, and human and individual characteristics which influence behaviour at work'. Kelvin TOP-SET® believes that, because people lie at the root of most incidents, careful consideration of human factors is essential to conducting an effective investigation that gets down to the true root causes of why an incident occurred.

Why Human Factors?

So that effective recommendations to prevent similar occurrences can be made and acted upon, it is crucial to be aware of the human aspects which can increase the risk of such incidents in the first place (behavioural differences, emotion, perception, personality, decision-making, cognition, fatigue, stress, etc.). There is no risk without people; as complex and erratic beings, humans interacting with and working as part of a technological, organisational and psychosocial system will inevitably produce variability, risk and, sometimes, error.

The Role of Human Factors in Incident Investigation

By taking a step back and refocusing our attention to encompass the human elements that can lead to incidents, as well as the technological, physical and environmental factors, investigations are far more efficient. Furthermore, the likelihood of future incidents is reduced and an organisation's efficiency, safety performance, safety culture and communication systems can be greatly improved. It is not simply about what happened, changing procedures or trying to control and alter observable behaviours; it is about looking beneath these behaviours in context to understand why and how they occurred and to provide ways of managing human failure so that companies are not only safer but more adaptive and proactive in their approach to safety.

Knowledge of human factors is also important for the actual investigation process itself if the best results are to be achieved because, although humans are often at the core of a problem, they are crucially part of the solution. An awareness of the psychological aspects of others enables the formation of a productive investigation team, who can work together to produce comprehensive results, and enables effective management of the interviewing, information gathering and dissemination of findings processes.

Human Factors and Kelvin TOP-SET®

Kelvin TOP-SET® acknowledges the importance of Human Factors in the incident investigation process as the role humans and organisations play in incident causation cannot be ignored. Human Factors is not taught as a specific topic but rather as an underlying theme throughout the 3-Day Senior Investigator Course.

Should you wish to discuss more specific areas of investigation, such as interviewing techniques for investigation or investigation management, please contact Kelvin TOP-SET® to discuss management coaching or bespoke course options.