Key elements of human performance improvement

Providing safe equipment starts early in the design phase, although most machinery can be retrofitted to correct any original design flaws.   For example, if you have a machine that requires the operator to turn a small knob that is located between two posts, it may be very difficult for a worker wearing protective gloves to accomplish the task.  It may be that the machine was designed in the "good old days" when employees worked bare-handed, but with current OSHA standards, they are now required to wear bulky gloves.  If you leave the machinery the way it is, you are virtually forcing your employees to violate an OSHA standard.  However, if you can move the knob or move the posts, you allow the employee to work safely.  And when it becomes time to replace the machine, your workers can tell you exactly how it should be redesigned so that the new machinery is safer than the old.  Be sure to consider not only safe operation, but also safety when moving and cleaning the equipment.

 Providing clear instructions and job aids includes using understandable language, clear fonts, adequate size, and the appropriate level of detail for the risk.  For example, if you are writing instructions on how to operate a typewriter, chances are the information would be relatively general.   However, if you are writing instructions on how to disarm a bomb, you might be much more specific and detailed.  Have someone who doesn't operate the equipment read through your instructions to see if they are sufficient to complete the task safely.  Consider the literacy level of your employees, as well as any language barriers if you have people on your staff whose first language is not the same as yours.  Post or file the instructions where they can easily be seen when needed.

Providing sufficient training means that your job isn't done when your employees graduate from a class.  You must follow-up on classroom learning with simulators or actual on-the-job training until you are sure each employee is fully capable of doing a task safely.  Complicated or high risk procedures should be reviewed often, and tasks which are only done sporadically should be reviewed each time before they are to be performed.

Providing ways to detect and correct human errors involves training your employees on the STAR technique, comprised of:

• Stop to organize your thoughts.  Make sure you are not distracted.
• Think about the procedure you will follow, the risks involved, the other people who may be in the area, and the environment around you.
• Act by performing the task carefully and safely.
• Review to make sure the task is completely done and that no hazards are left in the area.  If anything went wrong, notify the appropriate people so that remedial action can be taken to make sure the same problem doesn't occur the next time the task is performed.
  

Of course, you will not use the STAR technique every time you staple a sheaf of papers together, but for work which involves significant risk, it is a good technique to use, particularly if the work is done by one person rather than by a crew.

If a crew is involved, a job briefing may be in order so that each person knows what is expected of him, and everyone knows the correct sequence in which the tasks are to be performed.