Almost all the major accident investigations--Texas City, Piper Alpha, the Phillips 66 explosion, Feyzin, Mexico City--show human error as the principal cause, either in design, operations, maintenance, or the management of safety. This book provides practical advice that can substantially reduce human error at all levels. In eight chapters--packed with case studies and examples of simple and advanced techniques for new and existing systems--the book challenges the assumption that human error is "unavoidable." Instead, it suggests a systems perspective. This view sees error as a consequence of a mismatch between human capabilities and demands and inappropriate organizational culture. This makes error a manageable factor and, therefore, avoidable.

This title was first published in 2002: This field guide assesses two views of human error - the old view, in which human error becomes the cause of an incident or accident, or the new view, in which human error is merely a symptom of deeper trouble within the system. The two parts of this guide concentrate on each view, leading towards an appreciation of the new view, in which human error is the starting point of an investigation, rather than its conclusion. The second part of this guide focuses on the circumstances which unfold around people, which causes their assessments and actions to change accordingly. It shows how to "reverse engineer" human error, which, like any other componant, needs to be put back together in a mishap investigation.

Process Safety Management and Human Factors: A Practitioner's Experiential Approach addresses human factors in process safety management (PSM) from a reflective learning approach. The book is written by engineers and technical specialists who spent the last 15-20 years of their professional career looking at behavioral-based safety, human factor research, and safety culture development in organizations. It is a fundamental resource for operational, technical and safety managers in high-risk industries who need to focus on personal and occupational safety management to prevent safety accidents. Real-life examples illustrate how a good, effective understanding of human factors supports PSM and positive impacts on accident occurrence. - Covers the evolution and background of process safety management - Shows how to integrate and augment process safety management with operational excellence and health, safety and environment management systems - Focuses on human factors in process safety management - Includes many real-life case studies from the collective experience of the book's authors

Human Factors Methods for Improving Performance in the Process Industries provides guidance for managers and plant engineering staff on specific, practical techniques and tools for addressing forty different human factors issues impacting process safety. Human factors incidents can result in injury and death, damage to the environment, fines, and business losses due to ruined batches, off-spec products, unplanned shutdowns, and other adverse effects. Prevention of these incidents increases productivity and profits. Complete with examples, case histories, techniques, and implementation methodologies, Human Factors Methods for Improving Performance in the Process Industries helps managers and engineering staff design and execute an efficient program. Organized for topical reference, the book includes: An overview on implementing a human factors program at the corporate level or the plant level, covering the business value, developing a program to meet specific needs, improving existing systems, roles and responsibilities, measures of performance, and more Summaries of forty different human factors relating to process safety, with a description of the tools, a practical example with graphics and visual aids, and additional resources Information on addressing the OSHA Process Safety Management (PSM) requirement for conducting human factors reviews in process hazard analyses (PHAs) A CD-ROM with a color version of the book Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.

Over the last three decades the process industries have grown very rapidly, with corresponding increases in the quantities of hazardous materials in process, storage or transport. Plants have become larger and are often situated in or close to densely populated areas. Increased hazard of loss of life or property is continually highlighted with incidents such as Flixborough, Bhopal, Chernobyl, Three Mile Island, the Phillips 66 incident, and Piper Alpha to name but a few. The field of Loss Prevention is, and continues to, be of supreme importance to countless companies, municipalities and governments around the world, because of the trend for processing plants to become larger and often be situated in or close to densely populated areas, thus increasing the hazard of loss of life or property. This book is a detailed guidebook to defending against these, and many other, hazards. It could without exaggeration be referred to as the "bible" for the process industries. This is THE standard reference work for chemical and process engineering safety professionals. For years, it has been the most complete collection of information on the theory, practice, design elements, equipment, regulations and laws covering the field of process safety. An entire library of alternative books (and cross-referencing systems) would be needed to replace or improve upon it, but everything of importance to safety professionals, engineers and managers can be found in this all-encompassing reference instead. Frank Lees' world renowned work has been fully revised and expanded by a team of leading chemical and process engineers working under the guidance of one of the world’s chief experts in this field. Sam Mannan is professor of chemical engineering at Texas A&M University, and heads the Mary Kay O’Connor Process Safety Center at Texas A&M. He received his MS and Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the University of Oklahoma, and joined the chemical engineering department at Texas A&M University as a professor in 1997. He has over 20 years of experience as an engineer, working both in industry and academia. New detail is added to chapters on fire safety, engineering, explosion hazards, analysis and suppression, and new appendices feature more recent disasters. The many thousands of references have been updated along with standards and codes of practice issued by authorities in the US, UK/Europe and internationally. In addition to all this, more regulatory relevance and case studies have been included in this edition. Written in a clear and concise style, Loss Prevention in the Process Industries covers traditional areas of personal safety as well as the more technological aspects and thus provides balanced and in-depth coverage of the whole field of safety and loss prevention. * A must-have standard reference for chemical and process engineering safety professionals * The most complete collection of information on the theory, practice, design elements, equipment and laws that pertain to process safety * Only single work to provide everything; principles, practice, codes, standards, data and references needed by those practicing in the field

Occupational ergonomics and safety studies the application of human behavior, abilities, limitations, and other characteristics to the design, testing, and evaluation of tools, machines, systems, tasks, jobs, and environments for productive, safe, comfortable, and effective use. Occupational Ergonomics Handbook provides current, comprehensive knowledge in this broad field, providing essential, state-of-the-art information from nearly 150 international leaders of this discipline. The text assesses the knowledge and expertise applied to industrial environments: Providing engineering guidelines for redesigning tools, machines, and work layouts Evaluating the demands placed on workers by current jobs Simulating alternative work methods Determining the potential for reducing physical job demands based on the implementation of new methods Topics also include: Fundamental ergonomic design principles at work Work-related musculoskeletal injuries, such as cumulative trauma to the upper extremity (CTDs) and low back disorders (LBDs), which affect several million workers each year with total costs exceeding $100 billion annually Current knowledge used for minimizing human suffering, potential for occupational disability, and related worker's compensation costs Working conditions under which musculoskeletal injuries might occur Engineering design measures for eliminating or reducing known job-risk factors Optimal manufacturing processes regarding human perceptual and cognitive abilities as well as task reliability Identifying the worker population affected by adverse conditions Early medical and work intervention efforts Economics of an ergonomics maintenance program Ergonomics as an essential cost to doing business Ergonomics intervention includes design for manufacturability, total quality management, and work organization. Occupational Ergonomics Handbook demonstrates how ergonomics serves as a vital component for the activities of the company and enables an advantageous cooperation between management and labor. This new handbook serves a broad segment of industrial practitioners, including industrial and manufacturing engineers; managers; plant supervisors and ergonomics professionals; researchers and students from academia, business, and government; human factors and safety specialists; physical therapists; cognitive and work psychologists; sociologists; and human-computer communications specialists.

The process industry has developed integrated process safety management programs to reduce or eliminate incidents and major consequences, such as injury, loss of life, property damage, environmental harm, and business interruption. Good documentation practices are a crucial part of retaining past knowledge and experience, and avoiding relearning old lessons. Following an introduction, which offers examples of how proper documentation might have prevented major explosions and serious incidents, the 21 sections in this book clearly present aims, goals, and methodology in all areas of documentation. The text contains examples of dozens of needed forms, lists of relevant industry organizations, sources for software, references, OSHA regulations, sample plans, and more.

Lees' Process Safety Essentials is a single-volume digest presenting the critical, practical content from Lees' Loss Prevention for day-to-day use and reference. It is portable, authoritative, affordable, and accessible — ideal for those on the move, students, and individuals without access to the full three volumes of Lees'. This book provides a convenient summary of the main content of Lees', primarily drawn from the hazard identification, assessment, and control content of volumes one and two. Users can access Essentials for day-to-day reference on topics including plant location and layout; human factors and human error; fire, explosion and toxic release; engineering for sustainable development; and much more. This handy volume is a valuable reference, both for students or early-career professionals who may not need the full scope of Lees', and for more experienced professionals needing quick, convenient access to information. - Boils down the essence of Lees'—the process safety encyclopedia trusted worldwide for over 30 years - Provides safety professionals with the core information they need to understand the most common safety and loss prevention challenges - Covers the latest standards and presents information, including recent incidents such as Texas City and Buncefield

Major accidents are rare events due to the many barriers, safeguards and defences developed by modern technologies. But they continue to happen with saddening regularity and their human and financial consequences are all too often unacceptably catastrophic. One of the greatest challenges we face is to develop more effective ways of both understanding and limiting their occurrence. This lucid book presents a set of common principles to further our knowledge of the causes of major accidents in a wide variety of high-technology systems. It also describes tools and techniques for managing the risks of such organizational accidents that go beyond those currently available to system managers and safety professionals. James Reason deals comprehensively with the prevention of major accidents arising from human and organizational causes. He argues that the same general principles and management techniques are appropriate for many different domains. These include banks and insurance companies just as much as nuclear power plants, oil exploration and production companies, chemical process installations and air, sea and rail transport. Its unique combination of principles and practicalities make this seminal book essential reading for all whose daily business is to manage, audit and regulate hazardous technologies of all kinds. It is relevant to those concerned with understanding and controlling human and organizational factors and will also interest academic readers and those working in industrial and government agencies.

Space Safety and Human Performance provides a comprehensive reference for engineers and technical managers within aerospace and high technology companies, space agencies, operators, and consulting firms. The book draws upon the expertise of the world's leading experts in the field and focuses primarily on humans in spaceflight, but also covers operators of control centers on the ground and behavior aspects of complex organizations, thus addressing the entire spectrum of space actors. During spaceflight, human performance can be deeply affected by physical, psychological and psychosocial stressors. Strict selection, intensive training and adequate operational rules are used to fight performance degradation and prepare individuals and teams to effectively manage systems failures and challenging emergencies. The book is endorsed by the International Association for the Advancement of Space Safety (IAASS). - 2019 PROSE Awards - Winner: Category: Engineering and Technology: Association of American Publishers - Provides information on critical aspects of human performance in space missions - Addresses the issue of human performance, from physical and psychosocial stressors that can degrade performance, to selection and training principles and techniques to enhance performance - Brings together essential material on: cognition and human error; advanced analysis methods such as human reliability analysis; environmental challenges and human performance in space missions; critical human factors and man/machine interfaces in space systems design; crew selection and training; and organizational behavior and safety culture - Includes an endorsement by the International Association for the Advancement of Space Safety (IAASS)