Procedures, Human Factors Engineering, and Task Analysis
Core concepts
Procedures translate intent into reliable action. Know the difference between normal, abnormal, emergency, and surveillance procedures, and the value of action steps versus check-off steps and place-keeping. Understand procedure adherence and adaptation: operators deviate when procedures are inaccurate, ambiguous, or impractical, so usability review and field validation matter. Technical basis documents explain why a step exists, supporting judgement when conditions differ.
Human factors engineering uses task analysis to decompose work into steps, information needs, decisions, and error opportunities. Know hierarchical task analysis, link analysis, and workload assessment. Error-likely situations are identified by examining critical steps, transitions, and interfaces between tasks. Human factors verification and validation confirms that design and procedures support the required tasks under realistic conditions.
Traps in questions
- Assuming strict adherence is always correct; blind compliance can be unsafe when conditions differ from assumptions.
- Confusing task analysis (describing work) with procedure writing (specifying steps).
- Ignoring procedure-to-interface mismatches as an error source.
- Treating validation as a paper review rather than realistic, representative testing.
- Overlooking transitions and handovers as high-error moments.
Worked rule of thumb
Use the critical-step screen: for each step ask, If this is done wrong or out of order, is there immediate, unambiguous feedback? If not, it is error-likely and needs a barrier such as a checklist, independent check, or interlock. Example: opening a manual isolation valve without position feedback is error-likely; adding a verified position indicator or two-person check reduces risk.