Last week, we looked at how the business environment and corporate culture can cause error incidents to occur. Naturally, human error is also a result of individual actions. Let's take a look at some of the other factors that can increase the incidents of errors in the workplace.

The Individual Factors that Cause Human Error

As we discussed last week, people respond to distractions in the workplace. Whether it's an increased workload or employment uncertainty, these distractions play a role in error-related incidents. That's looking at the big picture. To assess all the factors related to human error, we now need to narrow the focus down to the individuals - the line employee, whether in production, maintenance or administration, and their supervisors and managers.

Inattention

A primary cause of communication errors and misinterpretations is loss of focus. Any number of factors can lead to inattention and loss of focus, including:

• Daydreaming;
• Repetitive tasks;
• Stress; and
• Distractions.

Pre-Meditated Risks
Another individually-rooted cause of errors is conscious or pre-meditated behaviors such as when individuals talk themselves into taking shortcuts, deliberately go around a machine guard or fail to read through a job safety analysis or procedural instructions before beginning a task.

These pre-meditated risk behaviors tend to be supported by rationalizations and justifications and are often ascribed to factors such as time, comfort and convenience. Often, the attitude or belief that "I'm experienced and capable and I know what I'm doing" can lead to decisions to take shortcuts or bypass safety procedures. The risk is particularly acute in companies where downsizing or fear of downsizing exist. The fear of layoffs can pressure employees to take shortcuts to get their jobs done faster because they do not want to be perceived as slow.

Insufficient Training
Errors often occur because inadequately trained personnel are placed in positions that require levels of experience and expertise they don't possess. (Systems don't work unless people do!)

Also contributing to error-making are ingrained attitudes such as, "We can't afford to spend the money or time on training people completely; we need to focus on production and profits."

Insufficient Measurements
Using injury statistics to track errors and incidents the way many safety professionals do, does not measure levels of awareness or behaviors. Nor does it ensure all levels of employees are working towards preventing errors and incidents. In fact, low incident rates can cause people to become complacent and place their attention and energies elsewhere.

To ensure continual improvement, attention and energy must be consistently applied to quality and safety, health and environmental performance. We can wait until we get sick before we go to a doctor, or we can go to the doctor before we get sick to find out what is the best way to stay well. I believe that a "holistic" approach to error prevention is the most effective way to go.

Conclusion

Now that we've identified corporate and individual causes of human error, next week, we'll start to explore strategies for preventing them.

WHO SAID IT?
Leadership Quiz

Thomas Jefferson: Would rather be late than wrong

By Catherine Jones

Match the following quotes on human error with the person who uttered them:

1. An error the breadth of a single hair can lead one a thousand miles astray.

2. It took one human error to take my leg and one human error to take my mother's.

3. It can only be attributable to human error.

4. Delay is preferable to error.

5. It takes less time to do a thing right than it does to explain why you did it wrong.

Choices:

Thomas Jefferson
HAL (Heuristically programmed ALgorithmic computer, from 2001: A Space Odyssey)
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Chinese Proverb
Heather Mills McCartney

Answers:

1. Chinese Proverb
2. Heather Mills McCartney
3. HAL
4. Thomas Jefferson
5. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

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