Using SHERPA to predict design-induced error on the flight deck

Human factors certification criteria are being developed for large civil aircraft. The objective is to reduce the incidence of design-induced error on the flight deck. Many formal error identification techniques currently exist, however none of these have been validated for their use in an aviation context. This paper evaluates SHERPA (Systematic Human Error Reduction and Prediction Approach) as a means for predicting design-induced pilot error. Since SHERPA was developed for predicting human error in the petrochemical and nuclear industries, a series of validation studies have suggested that it is amongst the best human error prediction tools available. This study provides some evidence for the reliability and validity of SHERPA in a flight deck context and concludes that it may form the basis for a successful human error identification tool.