PSM · Intermediate · 1 day

Human Factors and Safety-Critical Task Analysis

Identifying the tasks where human error leads to a major accident and designing them so error is less likely

Duration1 day
LevelIntermediate
FormatOn-site · virtual
CodeTR-D11
PSIPHAProceduresMOCMIAudit 14 ELEMENTS · RBPS 20
Course flyer

Human Factors and Safety-Critical Task Analysis — one-page catalogue.

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Human Factors and Safety-Critical Task Analysis — one-page course flyer
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Request this courseDownload the Training Request Form, quote course code TR-D11, sign and e-mail it to sales@cerasus.ai — or use the consultation form below.
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At a glance

What you will be able to do.

Process safety, HSE and operations engineers; procedure writers; human factors focal points; engineers preparing COMAH or Seveso safety reports

Operators are blamed in most incident reports and designed out of most safeguards; both approaches miss the point. The course explains how human performance depends on the task, the equipment and the organisation, then teaches safety-critical task analysis as practised under UK COMAH and Seveso: screening tasks by consequence, breaking them down hierarchically, identifying credible errors and assessing performance-influencing factors. Participants analyse two tasks from their own plant and specify the improvements to procedures, interfaces and staffing.

  • Explain human error types (slips, lapses, mistakes, violations) and what each responds to
  • Screen and rank safety-critical tasks from the PHA and bow-ties
  • Perform hierarchical task analysis on a start-up, isolation or loading task
  • Identify credible errors and assess performance-influencing factors
  • Specify controls in the right order: design, interface, procedure, competence, supervision
  • Use the analysis to support procedures, training, staffing and alarm and HMI design
Course outline

Day by day

Morning

Human factors in major accidents · error types and the Swiss-cheese view · EI and HSE human factors topics · safety-critical task screening · hierarchical task analysis · task 1 from participants' plant

Afternoon

Error identification and performance-influencing factors · human error probability data and LOPA human IPLs · controls: interface, procedures, competence, staffing, fatigue · task 2 and report-out · linking SCTA to procedures, training matrix and HMI design

Standards referenced
EI Human Factors Briefing Notes
HSE HSG48 Reducing Error and Influencing Behaviour
EI Guidance on Human Factors Safety Critical Task Analysis
CCPS Guidelines for Preventing Human Error in Process Safety
ISA-101
Request a consultation

Tell us about the unit and the problem.

Send a short brief — plant, service of interest and what you need to achieve — and a Cerasus engineer will respond with a proposed scope and next steps.

Prefer email or phone? sales@cerasus.ai · +974 5506 2743