Health and Safety
Executive / Commission
Human factors
HSE has always recognised the importance that human factors can play in helping avoid accidents and ill-health at work, but has recently given greater emphasis to the topic in seeking to implement the ‘Revitalising’ strategy. Under UK law employers are responsible for ensuring the health and safety of their employees and others who may be affected by their work (the public). It is therefore important employers give proper consideration to human factors since they play a role in all work activities from design and construction through operation and maintenance to decommissioning.
HSE employs Specialist Inspectors in Human Factors/Ergonomics supported by Human Factors Scientists (ergonomists and psychologists) with the overall aim of helping ensure employers comply with the law. These staff provide advice on human factors issues including developing relevant guidance to help employers fulfil their duties. They also monitor the steps taken by employers to tackle the relevant human factors issues necessary to control health and safety and take enforcement action when appropriate.
Human Factors Specialist Inspectors are based in all parts of HSE. Traditionally, there has been a focus on the major hazard industries (e.g. nuclear and offshore) and HSE’s specialists in human factors are currently organised into two pools of expertise. One is concerned primarily with psychological and organisational issues such as managing human failure in major hazard industries and work-related stress. The other is concerned primarily with physical design issues relating for example to manual handling and musculoskeletal disorders.
HSE’s overall strategy for human factors is the focus of the Human Factors Corporate Topic Group (see Contacts).