Human factors in health and safety

In any activity involving human beings the effectiveness with which it is carried out depends very much on the way in which the individuals concerned look at what is to be done. Approaches can range from supreme enthusiasm that brooks no setbacks to downright indifference that looks for any reason not to do anything. The difference between these two extremes is in the attitude and manner in which the individual approaches the activity. This may be due to internal factors that are very personal to the individual or to external factors such as the circumstances or the environment in which the individual finds himself and over which he has no control. In the occupational field these factors and any others that affect the interface between employees and their work are referred to as human factors. 

It is being increasingly recognized that many of the accidents that occur at work are a direct result of human factors, i.e. the accident has a behavioural cause rather than the failure of a mechanical part or a shortcoming in a system of work. 

Occupational human factors refer to any matters that influence a person s approach to work and the ability to carry out the job tasks. Those influences can occur at any point in the person s daily activities whether in the home, at work, at social gatherings or during leisure activities. Human factors are one of the many facets of behavioural science. 

This section, for simplicity and convenience, will consider the influences on human factors under four headings  

2 Positive factors - some factors that can improve attitudes to work. 

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