HUMAN FACTORS
Performance.
Safety.
Reliability.
Human factors requires an understanding of:
1. Work
2. People
3. Organisations
What is ‘human factors’?
We’re all human. We all make mistakes and forget things. Our attention span is limited. We overlook key information when making decisions. We get distracted, bored, tired or preoccupied. We mishear and…
Case study: Improving human performance
Human factors and Homer Simpson
What is human factors? Do you have difficulty explaining the topic to others? And what value does human factors add?
This case study examines the factors that might influence a control room operator’s behaviour (Homer Simpson) and how we might improve his performance. These ‘Performance Influencing Factors’ are key to understanding and optimising human performance.
The article provides a definition of human factors: “making it easy for Homer to do the right thing”.
Choose your own adventure:
Key topics
It is these key topics that influence how we behave and think.
Understanding and improving these topics is the essence of human factors.
Incidents
These are stories of how clever and complex organisations sometimes fail.
The investigations into these incidents provide a good introduction to the breadth of human factors.
Articles
Articles on a range of human factors, psychology and safety issues; ranging from comments on current affairs to book reviews.
Latest articles
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Martin Anderson:
Creator of humanfactors101.com
Understanding and optimising human performance
I’ve spent over 30 years working as a human factors professional in senior roles across consultancy, industry, regulation, and research. I’m sharing my experience with you on this website.
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