3.3 How human factors influence behaviour

Written by Imran Qureshi (NEBOSH)

NEBOSH IGC · Health and safety management · 15 questions

Name: ____________________ Date: ____________

A long shift pattern is an example of which kind of human factor?
- A Organisational
- B Job
- C Environmental only
- D Individual
Unclear procedures and poorly marked controls are examples of:
- A Job factors
- B Organisational factors only
- C Legal factors
- D Individual factors
An individual factor is:
- A Risk perception
- B Workload
- C Leadership
- D Communication systems
Poor leadership and limited resources are examples of which factors?
- A Job factors
- B Environmental factors only
- C Individual factors
- D Organisational factors
The workload and the design of displays and controls are examples of:
- A Job factors
- B Legal factors
- C Organisational factors
- D Individual factors
Competence and attitude are examples of:
- A Individual factors
- B Job factors
- C Organisational factors
- D Management factors
Which of these is an organisational factor?
- A Work patterns such as long shifts
- B Risk perception
- C Personality
- D Skills
An unclear and impractical procedure is a:
- A Legal factor
- B Job factor
- C Individual factor
- D Organisational factor
Risk perception, meaning how risky a person thinks a task is, is a:
- A Individual factor
- B Equipment factor
- C Organisational factor
- D Job factor
The three kinds of human factors are:
- A Organisational, job and individual
- B Technical, procedural and behavioural
- C Legal, financial and moral
- D Active, reactive and passive
A tired worker on a long shift doing a repetitive task with poorly marked controls shows that human factors:
- A Only matter for managers
- B Only affect new workers
- C Interact with each other
- D Never combine
Poor communication between shifts is mainly an example of:
- A A job factor
- B An organisational factor
- C A legal factor
- D An individual factor
A study tip for any answer on why an incident happened is to:
- A List the law
- B Blame the worker
- C Use the three headings of organisational, job and individual factors
- D Give only the immediate cause
The temperature and lighting where a task is done are part of the:
- A Organisational factors only
- B Job factors, through the environment
- C Individual factors
- D Legal factors
Which is the best use of human factors in an investigation?
- A Only count the injuries
- B Only check the law
- C Stop when the worker is named
- D Look for why the person made the error as well as what they did

Answer key

1. A, 2. A, 3. A, 4. D, 5. A, 6. A, 7. A, 8. B, 9. A, 10. A, 11. C, 12. B, 13. C, 14. B, 15. D

Work patterns are an organisational factor.
The task and procedures are job factors.
Risk perception belongs to the individual.
Culture, leadership, resources, work patterns and communications are organisational.
Job factors include the task, workload, environment, displays, controls and procedures.
Individual factors include competence, skills, personality, attitude and risk perception.
Work patterns come from how the organisation arranges work.
Procedures are part of the job.
It varies between people.
Technical, procedural and behavioural are types of controls.
Individual, organisational and job factors add up.
Communications are an organisational factor.
The headings give a ready checklist.
The job factors include the working environment.
Human factors look at underlying causes.