In complex process environments—refineries, chemical plants, water treatment facilities, and mineral-processing operations—the smallest human error can cascade into major safety, environmental, and financial consequences. Human Factors Engineering (HFE) provides a structured way to understand and mitigate these risks by designing systems that recognise the realities of human capability and limitation. Rather than treating people as a “variable” to control, HFE treats them as an integral part of system performance.
Understanding Human Factors in Processing Contexts
Processing facilities operate under high cognitive, physical, and procedural demands. Operators manage thousands of control inputs, complex start-up and shutdown procedures, and continuous interactions with automated systems. Human Factors Engineering analyses how those human–system interactions occur—across control room design, procedural interfaces, maintenance tasks, alarm systems, and team communication—and then redesigns or influences them to reduce error likelihood and improve resilience.
In practical terms, this involves applying ergonomic design principles, human-centred control layouts, and workload-balanced procedures; ensuring clear visibility and reach; and aligning the mental model of operators with system behaviour. Techniques such as Hierarchical Task Analysis (HTA), SHERPA, and Predictive Human Error Analysis (PHEA) are used to anticipate potential failure modes before they manifest in real operations.
Integration Through the Project Lifecycle
The value of HFE grows when it is integrated early in the engineering lifecycle. During concept and FEED phases, HFE reviews can identify critical human–machine interfaces, control room layouts, and safety-critical tasks that need to be designed with operator input. In detailed design, HFE ensures the placement of valves, indicators, and alarms aligns with reach, visibility, and task flow requirements. During commissioning and operations, procedural task analyses confirm that human performance requirements are achievable under expected time, fatigue, and environmental conditions.
When embedded within the project’s governance structure—alongside process safety and reliability engineering—HFE becomes a proactive assurance activity rather than a reactive audit function.
Demonstrated Effectiveness
Across global process industries, the application of HFE has been shown to reduce abnormal operating events, improve start-up success rates, and cut maintenance-related incidents. For example, integrating task analysis into permit-to-work and isolation processes has reduced human-initiated energy release incidents by up to 40% in some refineries. Control room redesigns based on workload and line-of-sight analysis have led to significant drops in alarm flooding and improved response times during upsets.
Equally important, embedding HFE fosters a “learning system” culture—where near misses and normal work are analysed for insight rather than blame. This strengthens psychological safety, encouraging teams to identify latent conditions before they become accidents.
The Bottom Line
Human Factors Engineering doesn’t eliminate human error; it reduces the opportunity for error and minimises its consequences. In the processing industry, where complexity and risk coexist daily, HFE transforms human reliability from an aspiration into a measurable design outcome.
By investing early in human-centred design and analysis, organisations don’t just improve safety—they enhance efficiency, operational readiness, and workforce trust in the systems they operate.
