Human Factors
A definition …
Human Factors (HF) is the discipline that applies our knowledge of human capabilities and limitations to the design, operation and maintenance of technological systems.
HF draws from established disciplines such as psychology, ergonomics, physiology and engineering to develop and apply knowledge about people at work to the functional relationships between people, tasks, technologies and the working environment in order to produce safe and efficient human performance.
… and what it means for the rail industry
The primary focus of HF in the rail industry today is to improve safety and efficiency by reducing the potential for human error.
It considers the working environment from a human-centred perspective looking at the whole system and its influence on the way people behave and interact with the railway.
Rail incidents are often attributed to human failure, but humans rarely make mistakes on purpose. The application of HF knowledge and tools can identify adverse effects on human performance in the work environment and help to design effective mitigation strategies.
Human factors resources
ITSRR is developing a suite of resources to help the rail industry better manage risk and improve overall safety management by identifying HF issues that lead to occurrences.
- Signals Passed At Danger (SPAD) Management Information Paper (1,300kb PDF) - presents better practices for managing SPADs
- Human Factors Investigation Tools – designed to help identify HF issues in Signal Passed at Danger (SPAD), level crossings and worksite protection
- Contributing Factors Framework – a system for coding information about the contributing factors in rail safety occurrences
- Rail Resource Management – a training toolkit for better error-management specifically developed for the Australian rail industry (contains a best practice review, comprehensive guidelines and generic training materials).
More information
ITSRR hosted an Executive Safety Seminar in April 2009 to outline a suite of resources being developed for use by rail safety regulators, investigators and rail transport operators.
The UK Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) has produced a guide - Understanding Human Factors – a guide for the rail industry - to help people working in the rail industry without expertise in HF to better understand the issues.
For more information, email ITSRR at contact@transportregulator.nsw.gov.au