Human Factors and Safer Behaviour - Designing Work for Reliable Performance

Why do capable, experienced people sometimes make decisions that lead to unsafe outcomes?

Human Factors and Safer Behaviour moves beyond the familiar explanations of carelessness, complacency and failure to follow procedure. Robert Porter draws upon experience in operational, transport and safety-critical environments to explain how workload, fatigue, equipment, procedures, communication, competence, supervision and organisational culture shape the way people actually perform.

Written for managers, supervisors, safety practitioners and operational teams, this practical guide explores human error, risk perception, situational awareness, decision-making, workplace drift, just culture and the difference between work as planned and work as it is really performed.

Readers will learn how to:

recognise the conditions that influence human performance;

distinguish slips, lapses, mistakes and deliberate departures;

design clearer tasks, controls, displays and procedures;

manage workload, fatigue and operational pressure;

conduct constructive observations and coaching conversations;

investigate incidents without allowing hindsight or blame to distort the evidence;

build a fair and effective just culture; and

convert operational learning into stronger, sustainable controls.

Supported by original graphics, practical scenarios, reflection questions and Harvard-style references, this independent handbook offers a grounded alternative to behaviour-policing programmes and superficial safety slogans.

Its central message is straightforward: safer behaviour does not begin by demanding perfect people. It begins by designing better work.