5 of the Most Common Types of Human Error in the Workplace

There’s an old saying, which claims that your biggest opponent in life is yourself. In today’s society, that continues to be true. The workplace is host to a wide assortment of human errors, some of which can be relatively harmless while others can be detrimental.

 Human error is to blame for up to 90% of workplace accidents and can cost money, create a loss of time, and interrupt workplace productivity.  Knowing the various types of human error can help you learn how to prevent them in the workplace. Here are some of the most common types of human error.

Disregarding Safety

Whether it’s due to an employee becoming comfortable with the job, or a general lack of appreciation, employees often neglect even the most basic of safety measures. The disregard of implemented safety protocols often results in workplace accidents that were otherwise completely avoidable.

“Messing Around”

Workplace camaraderie can be beneficial in boosting morale, but when it leads to horseplay it can pose a serious safety hazard. Horseplay in both a physical and verbal sense can be equally hazardous and lead to personal injury, product and equipment damage, and/or coworker disputes.

Fatigue

When an employee is too tired to safely complete their essential job functions, the chance of a workplace accident rises significantly. Exhausted employees will often neglect basic safety protocols, fall asleep on the job, and even operate heavy machinery while drowsy. If this occurs frequently, it could warrant a human error investigation.

Speed Working

An employee who rushes through their work to meet a quota or get the job done so they can leave will often intentionally skip over necessary details. Proper equipment and machinery operation, safety protocols, and productivity chains can all be areas that a rushing employee might overlook.

Poor Training

Human error isn’t isolated to just employees, and sometimes an employer is to blame for a workplace accident. When a manager expedites employee training or leaves out imperative training topics, workplace accidents and injuries can be all but inevitable.

Human error doesn’t have to be something that a company suffers through. A human error investigation will provide insights into what types of errors are present in your company, and through human error reduction training and human error prevention tools, you can reduce occurrences.

Interested in human error prevention training? Call us today.