Following a medication error that led to the death of a patient, the nurse who administered the medication was sacked. Following an investigation by the Department of Health, no action was taken against the nurse or the hospital.
However, following an anonymous complaint, another investigation found deficiencies in hospital systems and also led to the nurse being charged with criminal homicide. No disciplinary action was taken against the hospital, but the nurse was found guilty of criminally negligent homicide. This article examines the series of events and comments on the impact of this case on the health profession and patient safety.
Despite our lives being shaped by the choices that we make, many people do not receive any training in making decisions. This article proposes that writing down key decisions in a diary, to be reviewed at a later date, provides an opportunity to learn and improve our decision-making process.
Five years ago, I launched this website with a series of articles about the Nimrod XV230 disaster.
Today, on the 15th anniversary of this tragedy, I’d like to reflect on the key recommendations. From the subtitle of the independent Review – “A failure of leadership, culture and priorities” – it’s obvious that there may be lessons for us all. The question is, have we learned these lessons?
A focus on individual behaviours is not the most effective approach to address workplace health and safety, unless all other necessary measures have been taken. Addressing behaviours should not be used to compensate for poorly-designed work or workplaces.
This article outlines the importance of the Hierarchy of Controls to determine the most effective measures to address workplace health and safety, and considers the position of individual behaviours within this hierarchy.
I’m really pleased to announce that this website is the joint winner of the Outstanding Communications Award 2021 from the UK Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors.
Writing content and maintaining the site takes considerable effort, but recognition like this keeps me motivated to continue producing materials. Thank You !!
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused stress, anxiety, worry and depression for millions of people around the world as they confront illness, bereavement, unemployment and uncertainty.
However, the coronavirus may be causing another global crisis – inadequate sleep.
This article addresses the impact of lockdowns, home-working and quarantine on our sleep – and provides some practical solutions.
Making money on the stockmarket should be easy. Simply buy stocks, shares or managed funds when prices are low and sell them when prices are higher. This is basic mathematics! However, several studies have shown that the typical private investor buys when stocks are high and sells them when they are low.
The principles of human factors can help ordinary retail investors to make money (or not lose money) on the global stockmarkets. Many people lose money when trading or investing on the stockmarket simply because we are human. We act on our emotions or instincts, and we are subject to cognitive biases (errors of thinking). These human factors can lead us to make poor decisions and lose money.
Frequent and rapid changes in workplaces around the world to control the coronavirus pandemic have the potential to harm the mental wellbeing of millions of people. Prior to the pandemic, mental health was a significant workplace issue and there will be significant increases in mental health issues due to the coronavirus pandemic.
However, there are steps that employers can take to promote mental wellbeing in the workplace and this article outlines what organisations can do to create a mentally healthy workplace, particularly during the coronavirus pandemic.
Governments and the media have provided information on how to stay physically safe during the pandemic, but guidance on looking after our mental wellbeing has been less visible. Unfortunately, the actions taken to stay physically safe, such as isolation and physical distancing, may be having a harmful effect on our mental health. Research on previous disasters shows that they create a long shadow of mental health issues, trailing the disaster by months or years.
Although vaccines are available for the coronavirus, there is no vaccine to support mental wellbeing.
In addition to the effects on individuals, mental health issues can have a significant impact on human reliability in the workplace. This article provides eight tips to maintain or improve your mental wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, up to 64% of the global aircraft fleet was in storage (around 17000 aircraft) and tens of thousands of pilots were also grounded for many months. The human factors implications are significant.
This article explores, through the lens of selected human factors topics, some of the challenges airlines face as they resume commercial flights. To illustrate these challenges, I explore recent incidents. The approach taken in this article may be helpful for organisations restarting activities, or making changes to activities, following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Martin Anderson 