Individual latent error detection: Simply stop, look and listen

Saward, Justin R.E. and Stanton, Neville A. (2018) Individual latent error detection: Simply stop, look and listen. Safety Science, 101, 305-312. (doi:10.1016/j.ssci.2017.09.023).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Human error is a by-product of performance variability caused by system failures, for which undetected error generates a latent error condition that can lead to an undesired outcome. Individual Latent Error Detection (I-LED) has been observed in naval air engineers at work where system-induced errors not detected at the time they occurred were later recalled by the individual who suffered the error at some point post-task completion. Using system cues several I-LED interventions are tested in the current study with the aim of mitigating system-induced latent error conditions, for which a simple stop, look and listen approach is found to be the most effective. I-LED research offers a step-change in Safety II thinking by offering a level of safety within normal operations that has not previously been accounted for in organisational safety strategies and thus should be of benefit to safety critical organisations seeking to enhance their safety management system.

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SafetyScience-RevisedSubmission(SAFETY-2017-437)final - Accepted Manuscript

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Accepted/In Press date: 25 September 2017

e-pub ahead of print date: 3 October 2017

Published date: January 2018

Additional Information: Justin Saward Is a Chartered Engineer serving in the Royal Navy as an Air Engineer Officer. He holds a long-standing professional interest in Human Factors and has an MSc in Human Factors & Safety Assessment in Aeronautics. Neville Stanton Chartered Occupational Psychologist registered with The British Psychological Society, Fellow of The British Psychological Society, Fellow of The Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors Member of the Institution of Engineering and Technology. In 1998 Prof Stanton was awarded the Institution of Electrical Engineers Divisional Premium Award (now the Institution of Engineering and Technology) for a co-authored paper on Engineering Psychology and System Safety. The Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors awarded him the Otto Edholm Medal in 2001 for his contribution to basic and applied ergonomics research, The President’s Medal in 2008 to the HFI-DTC and the Sir Frederic Bartlett Medal in 2012 for a lifetime contribution to ergonomics research. In 2007, The Royal Aeronautical Society awarded him the Hodgson Medal and Bronze Award with colleagues for their work on flight-deck safety. Professor Stanton conducts research into human performance in technological systems. This research has been undertaken in a diverse range of domains, including: aviation, defence, energy distribution, maritime, medicine, nuclear, road and rail transportation, oil and gas production. The fundamentals of human interaction with technology transgresses these domains and Human Factors methods can be used to analyse and make predictions about the performance of individuals, teams and systems. The insights gains from examining the activities of people interacting with technology can be used to assist in the design of better systems and ways of working in the future. As well as designing better human-machine systems, I have undertaken fundamental research into the development and validation of Human Factors methods. Prof Stanton has published over 25 books and 200 journal papers on his work over the past 25 years.