Consideration of human factors in industrial safety

As modern industrial technologies progress, critical incidents (both conventional and new) occur as well. Although majority of these safety incidents are human-related, or human factors problems, industrial systems and/or occupational safety operations are often designed without seriously considering important roles of human factors in industrial safety. The purpose of this paper is to show how a human factors approach can contribute to industrial safety. The paper introduces a systems safety concept with some useful analysis techniques for proactively preventing human-related safety problems. A behavior-based safety analysis approach to modify hyman behavior is suggested to reduce unsafe behavior and promote safe behavior. Finally, a sound human factors/ergonomics program is recommended for management to establish a hazard-free work environment. Some current and future research issues are discussed.