Human Factors in the Chemical and Process Industries, Module One: Managing Human Factors
Online | Face-to-face | In-company
Overview
This course introduces the key human factors concepts within risk management and examines how to manage organisational change, safety culture and safety-critical communications.
This is module one of our Human Factors in the Chemical and Process Industries training programme, which provides practical insight into the key human factors issues facing the industries. You can attend as a one-off course, or alongside our other human factors modules to get a comprehensive overview of the subject.
Learning outcomes
- Understand the key human factors concepts in risk management and why they are important for health and safety
- Understand how to manage organisational change
- Understand how to manage safety culture and behaviours
- Understand how to manage safety-critical communications
Who will benefit?
- HSE managers and advisors
- Operations managers
- Safety engineers
- Chemical/process engineers
- In-house human factors advisors eg COMAH operators' 'intelligent customers'
Course outline
Human factors in risk management
- What is human factors?
- Why is it important for health and safety?
- Managing and measuring the company's performance in relation to human factors
Managing safety-critical communications
- What is effective communication?
- A model of communication failures
- Approaches to making communication robust
- How to assess shift handover communications arrangements
- Assessment and improvement
- Control of work case study
Managing safety culture and behaviours
- What is safety culture?
- Models of safety culture
- Considerations for measuring culture
- Developing a safety culture
Managing organisational change
- What is organisational change?
- Effects on safety
- Some examples from serious incidents
- Typical problems encountered
- Interventions
What delegates say
Previous delegates said this course would help them to:
- begin their human factors journey
- develop a human factors system and present it to management
- improve/create a management of change system
- identify gaps in their processes
- improve safety culture
- become an 'intelligent customer' for human factors topics
- ask more in-depth questions when conducting HAZOP & HAZID studies
- apply human factors principles to asset improvement work
- understand COMAH requirements
- introduce human factors to other areas of their site and avoid reliance on the SHE team
- train and inform colleagues involved in audits and incident investigations.
Upcoming courses
Online
Online courses consist of four live and interactive sessions with the trainers. There will also be some work to complete independently before the course and between the live sessions. More details will be provided after you have registered.
From 13 May 2025
- Module 1–12 May 2025, 09:30–12:30 OR 13:30–16:30 BST
- Module 2–13 May 2025, 09:30–12:30 OR 13:30–16:30 BST
- Module 3–14 May 2025, 09:30–12:30 OR 13:30–16:30 BST
- Module 4–15 May 2025, 09:30–12:30 OR 13:30–16:30 BST
Live sessions are delivered via Microsoft Teams. If you don't already have this installed, you can join as a guest in order to access the training.
Face-to-face
- 30 September – 1 October 2025, Rugby, UK
Pre-course reading is issued beforehand as preparation for the course.
Fees
- Single module – £2,200 + VAT
- Book all four modules together: £1,650 + VAT per module
How to register
Select your preferred course from the list of upcoming start dates and go to the 'Book course' button at the bottom of the page.
More human factors training
- Module Two – Managing Human Failure
- Module Three – Strengthening Organisational Performance
- Module Four – Human Factors in Design
You can attend single modules or all four depending on your training needs. Modules can be completed in any order.
Learn more about the Human Factors in the Chemical and Process Industries programme.
In-company training
Our human factors training can be delivered to corporate teams, either on-site or online. This could be a cost-effective option if you have several people requiring the training. Content can be tailored to your specific requirements. Request a quotation.
Attendance certificate & CPD hours
An e-certificate will be issued at the end of the course to confirm attendance and CPD hours logged. Please note that you must attend the whole course to receive the certificate.
In the case of online courses, CPD hours should be used as an approximate guide and will vary depending on the preferred approach of the delegate and to what extent additional learning is completed.
Endorsements
In partnership with:
Trainer
Richard Scaife
Director, The Keil Centre
Richard is a Chartered Occupational Psychologist, a Chartered Ergonomics and Human Factors Specialist, a Fellow of the Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors, and a Chartered Scientist. He has a BSc in applied Psychology, an MSc in Occupational Psychology, and over 30 years of practical ergonomics experience within various industries. Before joining the Keil Centre, he spent six years working for National Air Traffic Services, latterly as the head of human safety in their human factors unit, and four years working on the design of military sensor systems, primarily for aircraft. Richard specialises in all aspects of human factors, particularly organisational safety, human safety analysis (including human error) and incident investigation. He has cross-industry experience, providing consultancy expertise and training. He was awarded the British Psychological Society Practitioner of the Year Award in 2006.