Applying the HEART Technique to Identify and Assess the Human Error in the Central Railway Traffic Control Room

Introduction: Human error can occur in many work environments, especially in control rooms. Due to the vital role of the central railway traffic control room in guiding and controlling all types of trains along the railway network, any error in this control room can lead to a catastrophic accident....

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Main Authors: Soleiman Ramezanifar, Ehsan Ramezanifar, Elahe Khadiv, Ali Salehi Sahlabadi, Davoud Eskandari, Mahshid Namdari
Format: Article
Language:fas
Published: Tehran University of Medical Sciences 2022-09-01
Series:بهداشت و ایمنی کار
Subjects:
Online Access:http://jhsw.tums.ac.ir/article-1-6743-en.html
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author Soleiman Ramezanifar
Ehsan Ramezanifar
Elahe Khadiv
Ali Salehi Sahlabadi
Davoud Eskandari
Mahshid Namdari
author_facet Soleiman Ramezanifar
Ehsan Ramezanifar
Elahe Khadiv
Ali Salehi Sahlabadi
Davoud Eskandari
Mahshid Namdari
author_sort Soleiman Ramezanifar
collection DOAJ
description Introduction: Human error can occur in many work environments, especially in control rooms. Due to the vital role of the central railway traffic control room in guiding and controlling all types of trains along the railway network, any error in this control room can lead to a catastrophic accident. This study aims to identify and assess human error in the central control room of railway traffic using the HEART technique. Material and Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was performed in 2021. In this research, tasks and sub-tasks were identified using the hierarchical task analysis (HTA) method. Then, the probability of human error was assessed using the HEART technique. Results: Based on the results of the HTA method, 67 main tasks, and 149 sub-tasks were identified. The study results on the probability of human error using the HEART technique showed that the three main tasks of the traffic expert (distribution of types of diesel, establishing the freight priority, and planning the movement of trains) had the highest probability of error. In addition, the most critical factors influencing human error were “evidence of illness among employees”, “sleep disorder”, “inexperience”, “unfamiliarity”, and “stress”. Conclusion: The results of this study indicated that the central railway traffic control room employees are prone to errors, and if these staff make errors, irreparable accidents will occur. To reduce the probability of error of these employees, measures should be considered, such as using regular and appropriate shifts, the use of skilled and competent people, and so on.
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spelling doaj.art-fcb554d7437f406c9ea772f228940a7d2022-12-22T02:06:07ZfasTehran University of Medical Sciencesبهداشت و ایمنی کار2251-807X2383-20882022-09-01123595616Applying the HEART Technique to Identify and Assess the Human Error in the Central Railway Traffic Control RoomSoleiman Ramezanifar0Ehsan Ramezanifar1Elahe Khadiv2Ali Salehi Sahlabadi3Davoud Eskandari4Mahshid Namdari5 Department of Occupational Health and Safety Engineering, School of Public Health and Safety, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Department of Occupational Health and Safety Engineering, School of Public Health and Safety, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran Department of Occupational Health and Safety Engineering, School of Public Health and Safety, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Department of Occupational Health and Safety Engineering, School of Public Health and Safety, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Department of Occupational Health and Safety Engineering, School of Public Health and Safety, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Department of Community Oral Health, School of Dentistry Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Introduction: Human error can occur in many work environments, especially in control rooms. Due to the vital role of the central railway traffic control room in guiding and controlling all types of trains along the railway network, any error in this control room can lead to a catastrophic accident. This study aims to identify and assess human error in the central control room of railway traffic using the HEART technique. Material and Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was performed in 2021. In this research, tasks and sub-tasks were identified using the hierarchical task analysis (HTA) method. Then, the probability of human error was assessed using the HEART technique. Results: Based on the results of the HTA method, 67 main tasks, and 149 sub-tasks were identified. The study results on the probability of human error using the HEART technique showed that the three main tasks of the traffic expert (distribution of types of diesel, establishing the freight priority, and planning the movement of trains) had the highest probability of error. In addition, the most critical factors influencing human error were “evidence of illness among employees”, “sleep disorder”, “inexperience”, “unfamiliarity”, and “stress”. Conclusion: The results of this study indicated that the central railway traffic control room employees are prone to errors, and if these staff make errors, irreparable accidents will occur. To reduce the probability of error of these employees, measures should be considered, such as using regular and appropriate shifts, the use of skilled and competent people, and so on.http://jhsw.tums.ac.ir/article-1-6743-en.htmlhuman errorhuman error assessment and reduction techniquecentral railway traffic control roomtrain scheduling
spellingShingle Soleiman Ramezanifar
Ehsan Ramezanifar
Elahe Khadiv
Ali Salehi Sahlabadi
Davoud Eskandari
Mahshid Namdari
Applying the HEART Technique to Identify and Assess the Human Error in the Central Railway Traffic Control Room
بهداشت و ایمنی کار
human error
human error assessment and reduction technique
central railway traffic control room
train scheduling
title Applying the HEART Technique to Identify and Assess the Human Error in the Central Railway Traffic Control Room
title_full Applying the HEART Technique to Identify and Assess the Human Error in the Central Railway Traffic Control Room
title_fullStr Applying the HEART Technique to Identify and Assess the Human Error in the Central Railway Traffic Control Room
title_full_unstemmed Applying the HEART Technique to Identify and Assess the Human Error in the Central Railway Traffic Control Room
title_short Applying the HEART Technique to Identify and Assess the Human Error in the Central Railway Traffic Control Room
title_sort applying the heart technique to identify and assess the human error in the central railway traffic control room
topic human error
human error assessment and reduction technique
central railway traffic control room
train scheduling
url http://jhsw.tums.ac.ir/article-1-6743-en.html
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