human factors

Why is designing with human error in mind so critical? Consider that nearly 80% of all offshore facility accidents are caused by human errors, and 64% of these accidents happen during operations.

Speaking at an OESI-HFES joint forum, an expert on situation awareness explains the role it plays in preventing human error in oil and gas operations.

Studies show that almost 65% of megaprojects fail to meet the performance goals established when the financial go-ahead was given. Operators can avoid costly pitfalls if they focus on addressing the human-related problems.

Human error is identified as a root cause of accidents and incidents in 60% to 80% of the cases and a causal factor in another 50% to 60% of all mishaps across many industries.

SPE has formed a new technical section focusing on human factors engineering, which seeks to bring in knowledge from other industries, thereby ensuring safe operations and fostering a coordinated safety culture from top-level executives to workers on the ground.

Engineering culture is largely a safety culture. We have to assume that people will make a mistake and protect them from themselves through the way we design facilities.

Recent accidents in the oil and gas industry have renewed interest in whether behavioral sciences can provide insights that can be translated into safety interventions.