Human factors and human performance are crucial for workplace safety in most industries, but few are more dire than in the construction industry. These concepts focus on how certain factors correlate with individual behaviors and interactions in the workplace. Understanding these elements can help leaders improve productivity, safety and decision-making, and create a supportive environment that fosters better overall performance.
Understanding Human Factors in the Industry
Human factors describe how people interact with their workplace and how these factors can influence and affect their overall health and safety. Examples of human factors include the environment, organizational and job factors, and human and individual characteristics. These factors focus on why people make the choices they make and how the connection between the job, the individual and the organization shape decisions.
Understanding the design and structure of a job, including the workload, the nature of the tasks involved, the processes, the environment and overall balance, plays a role in workplace safety. Individual factors rely on the person and who they are, their personality, skill set, risk perception, attitude and more. Some of these are fixed attributes, while others can be flexible to change, but they’re all helpful for understanding how an individual interacts with their role effectively. The organizational factors focus on work patterns, culture, communication, leadership and more. These factors within an organization, especially in an industry like construction, can play a critical role in shaping behaviors. When in alignment, the job, the individual and the organization work in tandem for success and safety.
The 5 Principles of Human Performance and their role in safety
According to Todd Conklin, there are 5 principles of human performance that weave together as the foundational blocks for human performance. Each principle plays a role in understanding performance, what the driving forces behind performance are, and how they make a difference in influencing behavior.
A foundational principle in understanding performance is the concept that even the best people make mistakes. Errors are not exclusive, and they are not intentional. Exploring the details behind an error and what changes to make in procedures is important to avoid future errors. When an error does occur, rather than blaming an employee or group of employees for that error, dive into the factors that led to the incident and how to prevent future incidents. An environment where deliberate learning is the norm is also a vital component of improvement. When an incident occurs, stepping back to analyze what happened and why will ultimately help teams anticipate potential incidents to avoid future incidents. Finally, as a leader in an organization, it is critical to understand that your response matters. Taking a collaborative approach that focuses on correcting errors rather than placing blame can build a sense of trust and accountability between all levels of the team. This does not mean that errors are not addressed in an appropriate way, rather there is a balance to the approach that will help influence future actions.
Working toward a safer industry together
Fostering a culture that prioritizes a better understanding of why people make the decisions they make and how we can influence better choices is essential for workplace safety in the construction industry. It is critical to recognize the interconnectedness of people, our work environments, and our role in improving performance and safety.
Construction Safety Week, the annual nationwide week-long initiative, will take place May 5-9 with the theme All in Together, focusing on how teams can plan, own and commit together. To view and download available planning and safety resources, visit https://www.constructionsafetyweek.com/plan-for-safety-week/resources/.
Sources:
