Human reliability factors in technology management

Major accidents are shown to have similar generic features: by identifying these, design and organisational action can be taken to avoid catastrophic accidents. Research has led to better understanding of the causes of human error; there is a need to promote greater awareness of the factors, concepts and interfaces via reliability analysis and modelling, with special attention to human factors, management of systems, and the management hierarchy and decision process. Case summaries based on the official reports are given for the Challenger-shuttle loss, the Bhopal disaster and Chernobyl. The authors identify similar common features and, as stressed in BS5760 ´Systems reliability management´, it is necessary to recognise the whole-life-cycle requirements. A project group has been formed to develop an appreciation of human factors in technology management.<>