Human Factors for Safety - COM00208M

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Module summary

This module provides a foundational introduction to Human Factors and Ergonomics (HFE) in the context of safety-related system design and engineering. Students will explore key HFE concepts and apply selected methods to analyse work in complex settings. The focus is on using HFE approaches to support organisational learning, human-centred design, and decision-making in safety-critical environments, with critical reflection on the strengths and limitations of each technique.

Module will run

Occurrence	Teaching period
A	Semester 2 2025-26

Module aims

This module aims to introduce students to the principles and practices of Human Factors and Ergonomics (HFE) as a design-oriented discipline that supports the development and evaluation of safety-critical systems. Students will explore how people interact with technologies, tasks, and organisational environments, and learn to apply HFE methods to analyse and improve system performance and safety. The module covers a range of topics including safety culture and its assessment, task analysis for representing work, the Functional Resonance Analysis Method (FRAM) for understanding work-as-done, user-centred design, organisational learning, and the human-centred design and deployment of AI within complex work systems.

Module learning outcomes

Identify and describe the implications of human factors on the safety of a system. Demonstrate an understanding of a range of human factors techniques and understand their limitations Describe and evaluate an organisation’s processes with respect to the human contribution to system safety.

Indicative assessment

Task	% of module mark
Essay/coursework	100

Special assessment rules

None

Indicative reassessment

Task	% of module mark
Essay/coursework	100

Module feedback

Feedback provided via assessment.

Indicative reading

• Dekker S. Foundations of safety science: A century of understanding accidents and disasters: Routledge; 2019.
• Sujan M, Pickup L, Vosper H, Catchpole C. Human Factors and Ergonomics in Health and Social Care: An Applied Approach. Class Publishing; 2025
• Stanton N, Salmon PM, Rafferty LA, Walker GH, Baber C, Jenkins DP. Human factors methods: a practical guide for engineering and design: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.; 2013.
• Dekker S. Just culture: balancing safety and accountability. Farnham: Ashgate; 2012.
• Dekker S. The Safety Anarchist. Routledge; 2017
• Norman D. The Design of Everyday Things. Basic Books; 1988
• Sujan M, Bowie P, Smyth M, Rashid N. Achieving sustainable change: Capturing lessons from COVID-19. Wooton Waven: Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors; 2020.
• Sujan M, Baber C, Salmon P, Pool R, Chozos N. Human Factors and Ergonomics in Healthcare AI. Wootton Waven: Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors; 2021.
• Hollnagel E. FRAM, the functional resonance analysis method: modelling complex socio-technical systems: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.; 2012.