Module 09A. Human Factors

9.1 General

1. The need to take human factors into account;
2. Incidents attributable to human factors/human error;
3. ‘Murphy's’ law.

9.2 Human Performance and Limitations

1. Vision; Hearing;
2. Information processing;
3. Attention and perception;
4. Memory; Claustrophobia and physical access.

9.3 Social Psychology

1. Responsibility: individual and group;
2. Motivation and de-motivation;
3. Peer pressure;
4. ‘Culture’ issues;
5. Team working;
6. Management, supervision and leadership.

9.4 Factors Affecting Performance

1. Fitness/health;
2. Stress: domestic and work related;
3. Time pressure and deadlines;
4. Workload: overload and underload;
5. Sleep and fatigue, shiftwork;
6. Alcohol, medication, drug abuse.

9.5 Physical Environment

1. Noise and fumes; Illumination;
2. Climate and temperature;
3. Motion and vibration;
4. Working environment.

9.6 Tasks

1. Physical work; Repetitive tasks;
2. Visual inspection; Complex systems

9.7 Communication

1. Within and between teams; Work logging and recording;
2. Keeping up to date, currency; Dissemination of information

9.8 Human Error

1. Error models and theories; Types of error in maintenance tasks;
2. Implications of errors (i.e accidents), Avoiding and managing errors

9.9 Hazards in the Workplace

1. Recognising and avoiding hazards;
2. Dealing with emergencies.