Behind Human Error, 2nd Edition

PART IAN INTRODUCTION TO THE SECOND STORY

There is a widespread perception of a “human error problem.” “Human error” is often cited as a major contributing factor or “cause” of incidents and accidents. Many people accept the term “human error” as one category of potential causes for unsatisfactory activities or outcomes. A belief is that the human element is unreliable, and that solutions to the “human error problem” reside in changing the people or their role in the system.

This book presents the results of an intense examination of the human contribution to safety. It shows that the story of “human error” is remarkably complex. One way to discover this complexity is to make a shift from what we call the “first story,” where human error is ...