PRISM: EU Network on Human Factors in the Process Industries

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PRISM EU Network on Human Factors in the Process
Industries
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• PRISM (Process Industries Safety Management)
• Network of
• over 60 organisations
• from 14 countries
• Funded by the European Union Framework Programme
  for Research and Development
• Supported by CEFIC
• Co-ordinated by EPSC

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What Is Human Factors?
Work Practices - Task and job design - Context of
use - Organisational structures - Policies and
procedures
User differences - Age - Eyesight - Body size and
shape Special needs

• Environment
• Context
• Normal
• Emergency
• Noise, Heat, Light

Software design - Allocation of function -
Functional specification - User interface
design - User help
CARRY OUT TASK MAKE DECISIONS MONITOR LOCATE AND
PROCESS INFORMATION
Evaluation - User requirements - Rapid
prototyping - Standards/legislation

• Hardware design
• - Workstation design
• - Input/output devices
• - Workplace layout
• Health Safety
• Repetitive Strain Injury
• Work Related Upper Limb Disorders

Training - Skills required - Experience - Motivati
on - Training needs
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why human factors?
Technology
Number of Accidents
Procedures
Human Factors
Time
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Estimated number of human errors
100
The diagram shows the attribution of human
errors as causes, which may be different from
the contribution of human errors to incidents /
accidents.
90
80
70
60
Human action attributed as cause
50
40
30
20
10
1960
1965
1970
1975
1980
1985
1990
1995
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Incidents are caused by our behaviour We react
with technical solutions !
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Action Plan for PRISM

• Facilitate exchange of knowledge and information
• Generate knowledge to meet industry needs
• Establish options available to facilitate
  information sharing between companies
• Facilitate knowledge transfer from experts

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PRISM

• Focus Groups
• Culture and Organisation
• Optimising Human Performance
• High Demand Situations
• Engineering Design

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• Cultural and Organisational Factors

2.Optimising human performance
3.Human factors in high demand situations
4.Human factors as a part of the engineering
design process
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FG1 Topics

• Organisational cultural factors
• Team Working
• Behaviour based safety

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Behavioural safety key principles

• Programme ownership
• Definition of safe and unsafe behaviours
• Establishment of a baseline
• Training

• Observation
• Feedback
• Reinforcement
• Goal-setting
• Review

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Conditions

• Dissatisified with status quo
• Visible leadership and commitment
• Process to owned by employees
• Long term not a quick fix
• Integration not substitution or add on

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Pitfalls

• Blame culture
• Just another initiative
• Do as I say not as I do!
• Leave it all to the Safety Dept
• Resources

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ExxonMobil Safety Excellence Process Results
example
Start SEP
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A cautionary tale
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• Cultural and Organisational Factors

2.Optimising human performance
3.Human factors in high demand situations
4.Human factors as a part of the engineering
design process
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FG2 Topics

• Procedures
• Training
• Task Design
• Man machine and human computer interface

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Procedures
My procedure will ensure the task is performed
correctly
I know how to do this task, I dont need a
procedure
Do we need a procedure for each task?
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Decision Aid
No Written Instruction required NWI Job Aid
required e.g checklist/memory aid JA Step By
Step instruction required SBS
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• Cultural and Organisational Factors

2.Optimising human performance
3.Human factors in high demand situations
4.Human factors as a part of the engineering
design process
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• PRISM FG3 High Demand Situations
• cognitive overload
• emergency response
• control room layout
• abnormal situation management
• use of virtual reality

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Why alarm handling?
A wide issue about assuring the human response to
an alarm
Operators routinely ignore alarm in the plant
control room
Operators facing as few as 10 alarms a minute in
an emergency will quickly abandon the alarm list
to reduce stress. They will find a way to solve
the problem without using the alarms.
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How to face this problem?
Implementation of an alarm philosophy
Notify operators of events required more focused
attention
Help to prioritise response
Guide operator towards most appropriate response
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Benefits

• Easier to interpret alarms for operators
• Better control of processes
• Help avoid accidents

A typical plant can save approximately 3 500
000 per year by providing good control during
plant incidents and transition events such as
start-ups, feed changes, etc.
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• Cultural and Organisational Factors

2.Optimising human performance
3.Human factors in high demand situations
4.Human factors as a part of the engineering
design process
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• We cannot change the Human Condition but we can
  change the conditions in which humans work.
• James Reason

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How to incorporate HF in the design process?

• To take human factors into account as part of the
  process engineering design process requires the
  design of
• Equipment,
• Operations,
• Procedures,
• Work environments.
• such that they are compatible with the
  capabilities, limitations and needs of the workers

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Design solution to address the error causes
Maintainability and Operability
Automation
Designing to reduce Human Error Precursors
Process Control and Monitoring 
Process Operations and Layout
Work Environment
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• PRISM
• Deliverables
• Survey of needs of SMEs
• Application guides
• Training tools
• Seminars in different European Countries
• Internet seminars
• Networking and sharing of experience

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• www.prism-network.org

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Action Plan for Industry

• Develop an understanding of the basic subject
  matter of human factors (HF)
• Develop an understanding of current HF issues in
  pertinent industry sectors
• Develop an understanding of current arrangements
  used to identify control SHE hazards in your
  workplace
• From the basis of the existing systems already in
  place identify how HF can be incorporated

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11th International SymposiumLoss Prevention and
Safety Promotion in the Process IndustriesLoss
Prevention 200431 May - 3 June 2004 Prague
Czech Republic