Current developments in Human factor assessment

Basic factors for a successful Human Factor-analysis are reporting systems for registration and evaluation of reportable and other events. For analysis it's crucial to find as many factors as possible which contribute to the event. Only results of a complete analysis lead to a comprehensive improvement of safety. In this context some activities of the German authorities during the last years relating to human factors will be explained. Then, the different influences to the human-machine-interface are discussed in a comprehensive model. The individual staff member and all job-based requirements are taken in consideration. Still the social aspects regarding the position within the team and technical aspects with respect to the direct human-machine-interface will be examined. Last not least organizational aspects and external factors such as laws, authorities and experts will be considered. The system 'Safety through organizational learning' is an accepted practice to improve the safety of facilities. Finally a new, very simple method to assess the safety significance of human actions in nuclear power plants will be presented and compared briefly with one well-known method. This method will be explained with the procedures during operation and inspection of nuclear power as examples, describing how human errors and their repetition can be prevented. (author)