Capabilities - Human Factors & Risk Assessment

Bringing together expertise in psychology, behavioural toxicology, ergonomics, risk assessment, social science and health economics. We provide a comprehensive service for the investigation of all aspects of human, social and organisational factors impinging on health and safety at work.


  Case Studies

Our human factors and risk assessment capability encompasses:

• Occupational psychology.
  


• Psychosocial factors in ill-health.



• Stress and violence at work.
  
  
• Shift work, fatigue and working hours.
  
  
• Work organisation and job design.
  
  
• Neuropsychological testing and behavioural toxicology. Facilities include an observation suite.

• Work Ability - ageing workforce, disability and rehabilitation.
  
  
• Development and application of structured questionnaires and surveys, analysis of quantitative and qualitative data.
  
  
• Safety-related ergonomics, including: visibility from machines; design of controls and usability testing; fairground safety; conspicuity studies; application of virtual reality.
  


• Health-related ergonomics, including: manual handling; musculoskeletal disorders; biomechanical modelling; anthropometry. Human performance laboratories are available for biomechanical testing.
  
  
• Analysis of the role of human factors in risk assessment; including: task analysis; human reliability; risk perception.
  
  
• Risk communication, including: understanding; labelling and signage; risk education; societal attitudes to risk.
  
  
• Social and economic factors in health and safety, including: cost/benefit evaluation, options appraisal; diversity issues; social and public policy.
  
  
• Safety cultures and attitudes to safety.
  
  
• Development and use of Safety Management Systems auditing and inspection tools.
  
  
• Analysis of accident causation, accident statistics and accident investigation methods using empirical and field studies of underlying causes of accidents.
  
  

• Crowd safety and evacuation.

• Development and application of qualitative and quantitative risk assessment methodologies and tools, including: techniques for identifying hazards; analysing consequences; estimating and evaluating risk.

• Toxic and Flammable RISKAT - a computerised tool to inform land use planning advice.

• Transport RISKAT - a computerised tool for assessing risks associated with dangerous goods transportation.

• Dense gas dispersion and fire & explosion risk consequence models building upon research using HSL's experimental facilities.

• Assessment of industrial safety cases and risk assessments.

• Evaluating the impact of regulations, campaigns and programmes of work.
  

Further Information:

Contact our Business Development Unit by telephone (+44) 01298 218218, fax (+44) 01298 218822 or email hslinfo@hsl.gov.uk.

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