About Human Reliability

Human Error

Many studies have shown that human error is the greatest single influence on risk. Human error has been implicated in major disasters such as the Exxon Valdez, Chernobyl, Three Mile Island, the Herald of Free Enterprise and Clapham Junction. However, people can also have a beneficial effect on the safety and profitability of such systems by coping with unexpected situations and recovering from hardware failures.

Human Reliability Approach

The basis of Human Reliability's approach is to minimise the likelihood of errors and to ensure the positive contribution of people in both normal and abnormal situations. In order to achieve this objective, an interdisciplinary approach is required in which the characteristics of both people and the hardware components of these systems are addressed in an integrated manner. We have a balanced team of both engineers and behavioural scientists who are able to address these areas. In addition to our in-house staff, Human Reliability have access to a network of Associates who are able to provide specialist support for specific projects as required.

Human Reliability Experience

The company has over 20 years of experience and has achieved an international reputation in the area of the management of the human factor in systems. Our clients have included major organisations in the United Kingdom, European Union, USA, South America and the Far East. In addition to our extensive consultancy experience, Human Reliability are respected internationally for our research activities in the human reliability and human factors disciplines. All of this experience is transferred onto other companies through HRAs other services: training courses, seminars and software tools. Human Reliability have also contributed extensively to the technical literature in the area. These contributions include a major book: 'Guidelines for Preventing Human Error in Process Safety' written for the Center for Chemical Process Safety in the USA, which has become a standard reference source.