Human Factors Assessment in Industrial Applications
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Human Factors Assessment in Industrial Applications
In high-hazard industries, it’s rarely one big “technical failure” that causes a major incident. More often, it’s a chain: a confusing alarm, a rushed decision, a messy handover, a workaround that became normal, a control room screen that hides the detail you needed… and then one last mistake that tips everything over.
That’s why a human factors assessment matters.
At MHI Risk Engineers, our Human Factors Assessment (HFA) services look at how people actually interact with industrial systems — including design, procedures, interfaces, and organisational realities — to reduce error likelihood and strengthen operational resilience. We treat human reliability as a critical part of process safety, not a “soft topic.”
- What is a HFA
What are human factors
Human factors are the environmental, organisational, job, and individual characteristics that influence behaviour at work in a way that affects health, safety, and performance. In industrial operations this often includes:
- human–machine interaction (HMI design and usability)
- fatigue and workload management
- situational awareness and decision-making under pressure
- communication and teamwork
- control room ergonomics and alarm load
- training and competence
- procedures and operational discipline
- shift handover quality and control of work
A human factors assessment doesn’t blame people. It identifies how the system around the person makes errors more or less likely — and then improves that system.
- Who needs this service
Why human factors matter in process safety
Human error contributes to a significant portion of industrial incidents. The important nuance is this: most human errors are system-induced and predictable.
If your alarms are noisy, your procedures are unrealistic, your interfaces are confusing, or your shift handovers are inconsistent, you’re not dealing with a “people problem.” You’re dealing with an engineered risk.
A strong human factors assessment helps you:
- reduce the probability of error in safety-critical tasks
- improve operational decision-making and situational awareness
- strengthen control-of-work systems (permits, isolations, handovers)
- build resilience into normal operations and abnormal upsets
- support broader process safety management performance
- What we do:
Our Human Factors Assessment approach
We use a systematic, risk-based methodology aligned with recognised best practice. The work is collaborative, practical, and focused on safety-critical realities.
01
Task analysis (safety-critical tasks)
We identify and assess safety-critical tasks and where human error is most likely, such as:
- start-up and shutdown sequences
- isolations and reinstatements
- alarm response and upset handling
- sampling, draining, venting, and line-breaking activities
- bypassing and returning safety systems to service
We then look at workload, timing, decision complexity, and barriers that either prevent errors or allow them through.
02
Interface design review (control rooms, HMIs, alarms)
We evaluate:
- control room layout and ergonomics
- HMI navigation and screen design (what’s obvious vs what’s buried)
- alarm management and alarm prioritisation
- visibility of critical trends and process constraints
- physical workspace layout where tasks are performed
This is where many “small” improvements deliver huge safety gains, because they directly affect how operators see, interpret, and respond.
03
Organisational and procedural review
We assess the systems that shape daily performance, including:
- shift handover quality
- permit-to-work effectiveness (real use, not just paperwork)
- fatigue management and staffing/workload realities
- training, competence, and supervision support
procedural quality (clarity, usability, and whether procedures match actual work)
04
Human Reliability Analysis (HRA)
Where appropriate, we use structured Human Reliability Analysis techniques to estimate error likelihood and identify the biggest drivers of risk. Methods may include:
- THERP
- HEART
- SPAR-H
This is especially useful when you need a more defensible view of error probability for certain critical scenarios or when integrating into broader risk studies.
05
Recommendations and integration into your safety management system
We don’t hand you a human factors report that “lives on a shelf.”
We develop practical mitigation measures that integrate into your existing safety management systems (SMS), for example:
- improvements to procedures and checklists
- alarm rationalisation or changes to alarm philosophy
- redesign of critical HMI elements
- improved handover structure and verification steps
- fatigue risk controls
- targeted training and competency reinforcement
- control-of-work strengthening
- Certifications
Standards and guidance we align with
We align assessments with globally recognised standards and frameworks, including (as applicable):
United Kingdom
- HSE Human Factors Roadmap
- HSG48 (Reducing Error and Influencing Behaviour)
- OGUK Human Factors integration guidance
- Energy Institute Human Factors Framework
United States
- ANSI/ISA 101.01 (HMI Design)
- API RP 770 (Control Room Management)
- CCPS guidelines for preventing human error in process safety
- NRC Human Factors Engineering review models
Industries we serve
Human factors assessment is valuable across most high-hazard and complex operations, including:
- oil & gas (onshore and offshore)
- petrochemical and chemical processing
- power generation
- mining and metals
- food & beverage manufacturing
pharmaceutical and biotech
Why choose MHI Risk Engineers?
We bring a balanced, evidence-based approach that understands both:
- the technical realities of process systems, and
- the human realities of operating and maintaining them.
We don’t “audit from a distance.” We work with your teams to make improvements that reduce error likelihood and build safer, more resilient operations.
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Get in touch with us
Reach out for any inquiries, support, or to discuss how we can meet your industrial needs.
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FAQ: Human Factors Assessment
What is human factors assessment?
A human factors assessment is a structured evaluation of how people interact with systems, procedures, and organisational conditions in a way that affects safety and performance. It identifies error-likely situations and recommends changes to design, controls, procedures, and work systems to reduce risk.
What are the 12 factors of human factors?
Different models define “12 factors” differently, but common human factors elements include:
- competence and training
- workload and fatigue
- communication and teamwork
- supervision and leadership
- procedures and job aids
- interface design (HMI/usability)
- alarm load and prioritisation
- situational awareness
- environment and ergonomics
- shift handover quality
- organisational culture and norms
change management and learning
What are the 5 factors of risk assessment?
A practical set often includes:
- hazard identification
- likelihood/frequency
- consequence severity
- existing controls and their effectiveness
residual risk and additional controls needed
What are examples of human factors?
Examples include:
- fatigue leading to slower response times
- unclear procedures causing inconsistent execution
- poor control room layout increasing error rates
- alarm flooding reducing situational awareness
- weak shift handovers causing missed critical information
- poor interface design hiding key trends or limits
What are the five elements of human factors?
A common way to group human factors is:
- the person (skills, limits, fatigue)
- the task (complexity, time pressure)
- tools/technology (HMI, alarms, equipment)
- the environment (noise, heat, visibility, ergonomics)
- the organisation (culture, supervision, procedures, workload)
What are the 10 types of human error?
Terminology varies, but practical categories often include:
- slips (doing the wrong action)
- lapses (forgetting)
- mistakes (wrong decision/plan)
- violations (intentional deviation, often normalised)
- communication errors
- procedural errors
- attention failures
- misinterpretation of information/alarms
- mode confusion (especially with automation)
skill/knowledge gaps
- slips (doing the wrong action)
What are the key principles of human factors?
Key principles include:
- design systems to support correct action and prevent error
- assume humans are fallible and build barriers accordingly
- make critical information obvious and prioritised
- reduce unnecessary complexity and workload
- standardise where it improves reliability
learn from near misses and normal work, not only accidents
What are 5 common workplace hazards?
Examples include:
- slips/trips/falls
- electrical hazards
- moving machinery/mechanical hazards
- hazardous substances exposure
- confined spaces / poor ventilation
In process safety environments, major hazard risks also include loss of containment, fire, explosion, and toxic release.
What are the 10 disciplines of human factors?
This varies by how you define “disciplines,” but human factors often draws from:
- psychology (cognitive and behavioural)
- ergonomics
- systems engineering
- industrial engineering
- safety science
- organisational behaviour
- human–computer interaction
- training and competency development
- communications/team dynamics
fatigue and workload management
What are the 4 P's of risk assessment?
A practical “4 P’s” model:
- People
- Plant
- Process
- Place
Human factors work strengthens the “People” and “Process” parts while also influencing Plant (interfaces) and Place (layout).
What are the 5 steps of assessment?
A general assessment flow:
- define scope and objectives
- gather information and observe work
- analyse hazards and error-likely situations
- evaluate controls and weaknesses
recommend improvements and integrate into systems
What are the 5 P's of risk assessment?
Often used as:
- People
- Plant
- Process
- Place
Product
What is the purpose of the human factor?
The purpose is to improve safety and performance by designing work systems that match human capabilities and limitations—reducing errors, improving decision-making, and building resilience.
What are three human factors?
Three simple examples:
- fatigue
- poor communication
- confusing interfaces/procedures
What does a human factors specialist do?
A human factors specialist studies how people interact with equipment, interfaces, procedures, and organisational systems, then recommends improvements to reduce error and improve performance—especially in safety-critical environments.
What are the human factor skills?
Common skills include:
- task analysis and observation
- systems thinking
- understanding human error and performance shaping factors
- interface/usability evaluation
- facilitation and interviewing
- translating findings into practical engineering and procedural changes
- risk-based prioritisation and integration into management systems
Ready to put people at the centre of safety?
If you want a human factors assessment that is structured, evidence-based, and practical — and that integrates cleanly into your existing safety management systems — MHI Risk Engineers can help you engineer out error, strengthen resilience, and improve real-world operational reliability.
Human Factors Assessments strengthen the outcomes of HAZOP studies and Major Hazard Installation (MHI) risk assessments by addressing behavioural and organisational risk drivers. Integrating people, systems and compliance ensures process safety measures perform as intended.