Masterclass In Human Factors And Ergonomics 2012: Innovative Methods For Error Management

Human error is associated with sixty to eighty percent of all accidents and injuries at the workplace. The question is how do you to manage these errors? A Masterclass that introduces a method to systematically identify human errors (HFACS) and a method to develop targeted interventions for incidents and accidents (HFIX) attracted some 26 key safety personnel from across a variety of industries including aviation, healthcare, manufacturing oil & gas as well as government bodies and safety consultancy firms. The 2-day course was organised by the School of Science and Technology to educate the public on the importance of human factors in safety management and to raise awareness for the Human Factors in Safety programme offered by UniSIM. In seeing the value of such unique training opportunities for the local industries, WDA jumped in to sponsor fifty percent of the participant’s fees.  

This is the third offering of this Masterclass, which has progressively gained popularity. We also see participation from a much wider range of industries. The facilitator, Dr. Albert Boquet, from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, brings to class his years of experience as an accident investigator for US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and a key developer of the methods. HFACS and HFIX are widely used all over the world to address workplace accidents and incidents.  

Assoc Professor Chui Yoon Ping who organises the course said, "Every time we run the course, we have a new bunch of converts who see for themselves the importance of understanding the capabilities and limitations of human beings and the interacting factors that lead to the so-called ‘human error’. Without a good grasp of human factors, what chance do we have to make sure these accidents do not happen again? It is heartening to see that slowly, but surely, we are making an impact in introducing human factors to the local industries."