Human Reliability

In socio-technical systems humans are a frequent assumed source of errors, described as human error as a term for deviations from a target value up to desasters. This lecutre explains the relationship between the human factor and technical reliability.
After that models explaining and classifying human performance and errors are discussed and applied in case studies. These models are a necessary element für resilient system design. All models and methods are supported by given examples from the automotive and aviation domain.

At the end of the module students are able to
- analyze mechanisms of human behavior and to apply these in the context of reliability estimation
- analyze and evaluate human errors and match them to models given by literature
- analyze risk and evaluate mitigation strategies
- apply design rules and guidelines for resilient system design

A former visit of the lectures "Ergonomics" is recommended

The module consists of a lecture and an exercise. The lecture is based on a presentation in which the theoretical basics of human reliability are explained. Students should learn to analyze mechanisms of human behavior and apply them in the context of reliability estimation. In the exercise, case studies and calculation examples are worked on and discussed together. The students should learn to classify human errors and to apply the models given in the literature, to analyze risks and evaluate strategies for risk reduction, and to apply design rules and guidelines for the design of robust systems. For independent study we recommend the given literature.

powerpoint presentations, literature in a library with free access

Bubb, Heiner; Albers, Stephan (1992): Menschliche Zuverlässigkeit. Definitionen, Zusammenhänge, Bewertung. 1. Aufl. Landsberg/Lech: ecomed.

The learning outcomes are assessed in a written examination (90 minutes). The only additional resource allowed is a non-programmable calculator. In the examination, calculation methods must be applied, given case studies analyzed and design approaches evaluated. Students should demonstrate, that they can analyze mechanisms of human behavior and apply them in the context of reliability estimation, as well as apply design rules and guidelines for the design of robust systems.