Error conditions

A malfunction may be attributed to an operational error in the following conditions:

• The system operators fail to respond properly to a fault (the trigger),
• As a result, the system's situation becomes unusual, and is under hazard
• The system operators fail to detect or identify the hazard, or to recover from the unusual situation .

The Human Factors versions of Murphy's law

Murphy's law ..., is about the human perception of the occurrence of costly incidences. This observation motivates system designers to consider ways to cope with hazards, to ensure that the system is resilient to them.

The Human Factors version of Murphy's law tackles the primary source of system failure, which is human errors. Shortly, it states that:

• If the system design enables the operators to fail, eventually they will!

This observation motivates system designers to find ways to prevent human errors.

Related topic

Updated on 03 Mar 2017.