Citation

Teperi AM, Paajanen T, Asikainen I, Lantto E. Safety Sci. 2023; 158: e105968.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.ssci.2022.105968

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Human Factors (HF) aims to improve system performance, safety, and well-being. However, to promote their application more widely in the future, more evidence is needed of the outcomes of HF practices. We studied HF outcomes between 2000 and 2019 in two aviation companies and one railway company via interviews (n = 21), observations and work-focused discussions (n = 13), and 11 organizational indicators. We evaluated the manifestations of HF practices at varying organizational levels. The HF outcomes were both explicitly and implicitly evident. At the most comprehensive level, the outcomes were reflected as an HF mindset, knowhow, and practical safety- and work- related applications. The shorter the time that the HF practices had been in use in an organization, the more the employees saw HF as practices of individuals. Conversely, the companies that had been using HF practices for a longer period exhibited a more systematic and comprehensive insight, i.e., HF practices were evident in work processes, were considered to affect well-being and involved group and organizational factors. HF knowledge and integration differed on the management, supervisor/expert and operational levels, indicating a need to implement HF practices more tangibly when planning and organizing work. This poses challenges for management, especially when an HF- informed, pragmatic approach to safety needs to be developed. The evaluation of HF practices clearly needed improvement in all the companies. The outcomes of the HF practices had not been monitored particularly closely, systematically or in the long term. However, the potential HF indicator data had increased in all the companies during the past years. We emphasize that the content and aims of HF for different tasks and organizational levels need to be concretely defined. HF practices must be applied systemically and systematically, in a participative and solution-based manner.

Language: en

Keywords

HF implementation; Participative HF; Practical HF; Safety management; Safety-II; Systematic HF