Human Factor Analysis Framework for Ghana’s Mining Industry

Abstract

In an attempt to incorporate human factors into technical failures as accident causal factors, researchers have promoted the concept of human factor analysis. Human factor analysis models seek to identify latent conditions within the system that influence the operator’s action to trigger an accident.  For an effective application of human factor analysis models, a domain-specific model is recommended. Most existing models are developed with category/subcategory peculiar to a particular domain. This presents challenges and hinders effective application outside the domain developed for. This paper sought to propose a human factor analysis framework for Ghana’s mining industry. A comparative study was carried out between three dominated accident causation models and investigation methods in literature; AcciMap, HFACS, and STAMP. The comparative assessment showed that HFACS is suitable for incident data analysis based on the following reason; ease of learning and use, suitability for multiple incident analysis and statistical quantification of trends and patterns, and high inter and intra-coder reliability. A thorough study was done on HFACS and its derivative. Based on recommendations and research findings on HFACS from literature, Human Factor Analysis, and Classification System – Ghana Mining Industry (HFACS-GMI) was proposed. The HFACS-GMI has 4 tiers, namely; External influence/factor, Organisational factor, Local Workplace/Individual Condition and, Unsafe Act. A partial list of causal factors under each tier was generated to serve as a guide during incident coding and investigation. The HFACS-GMI consists of 18 subcategories and these have been discussed. The HFACS-GMI is specific to the Ghanaian Mines and could potentially help in identifying causal and contributing factors of an accident during an incident investigation and data analysis.   Keywords: Human Factor Analysis, Causal Factor, Causation Model, Mining Industry