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<br /> <br /> <br /> <br />16 <br />Contributions to <br />Failure <br />Contributions to Safety <br />• Pressure from non-safety goals • Safety culture and training <br />• Human fallibility and limitations <br />• Complexity <br />• Best practices <br />- General design and construction features <br />- Organizational & professional practices • Human errors <br />• Inadequate risk management <br />Key Takeaways <br />FAILURES HAPPEN and human factors are a major <br />contributor. Failures can result in catastrophic <br />consequences as presented in the three cases at the <br />beginning of this article. Individuals and organizations <br />that understand these consequences are better <br />positioned to recognize the contributors to failure and <br />the contributors to safety. Once these contributors are <br />identified and understood the benefits associated with <br />safety investments becomes clear. <br />Managing human factors that affect failure is <br />achievable! Becoming aware of the human factors in a <br />conscious framework is Step 1.The table below <br />summarizes key human factor best practices to achieve <br />safety. <br />Achieving an A+ rating on all of the best practices is a <br />lot of effort and is difficult to achieve. Technical <br />knowledge is probably the most important factor <br />toward achieving safety. People who are not experts in <br />a given field need to recognize their limitations and <br />seek input from other specialized expertise. Too often <br />the individuals who have the least amount of expertise <br />are often the ones with overconfidence, a conundrum <br />specifically known as the Dunning-Kruger effect. <br />Human factor best practices are a complex and vast <br />field than can be overwhelming to comprehend as a <br />whole. However, it is important to understand their <br />role in preventing dam safety incidents and failures. <br />Individuals and organizations looking to bolster their <br />safety investments can get their biggest bang for their <br />buck by starting with these human factor best <br />practices. <br />• Seek specialized expertise of qualified <br />engineers and technically diverse teams. <br />• Technical training and knowledge of <br />operators/owners. <br />• Having decision makers develop a <br />comprehension of risk. <br />• Embrace the need for continuing education in <br />all engineering disciplines. <br />Useful References <br />[1] Independent Forensic Team Report – Oroville Dam Spillway Incident, <br />January 2018. <br />[2] Surviving Field Stress for First Responders, Agency for Toxic <br />Substances and Disease Registry, Edition 1, May 2005. Draft Version. <br />[3] Urban Norstedt, Carl F.O. Rollenhagen, and Per E. Eveneus <br />“Considering Human Factors in Dam Safety” <br />https://www.hydroworld.com/articles/print/volume-16/issue- <br />6/articles/considering-human-factors-in-dam-safety.html. <br />Hydroworld. December 2008 <br />[4] Alvi, Irfan. “Human Factors In Dam Failures”. 2013. <br />[5] Mattox, A. Higman, B., Coil, D., McKittrick, E. Big Dams & Bad Choices: <br />Two Case Studies in Human Factors and Dam Failure <br />http://www.groundtruthtrekking.org/Issues/OtherIssues/dam-failure- <br />human-factors-cases-Teton-Vajont.html#ixzz5NotnLEdy. April 2017 <br />[6] Alvi, Irfan, Human Factors in Dam Failure and Safety. Case Study: Ka <br />Loko Dam Failure. May 2015. <br />http://alviassociates.com/yahoo_site_admin/assets/docs/Human_Fac <br />tors_in_Dam_Failure_and_Safety_-_2015_ASDSO_NE_-_Ka_Loko_- <br />_Revision_2.176153325.pdf