Training Issues in Human Reliability

While training is seen to be of high importance in ensuring adequate human reliability, both in human reliability theory and practice, the question of what “adequate training” actually entails is rarely addressed in this field. Many techniques of human reliability assessment, for example, utilize a “performance‐shaping factor” called “training” to help to quantify human error probabilities. However, these techniques do not specify in a useful way how it is decided whether training is good or poor. Similarly, the training analyst working within what are termed “mission‐critical applications” also utilizes quantitative techniques to assist in the definition of training dimensions which contribute to training effectiveness. Such dimensions are essential to ensure that the performance shaping factor of training is effective when the cognitive and motor skills are transferred to the operational environment. Explores the approaches which are commonly used both by the training analyst and by the human reliability practitioner, and indicates where the sharing of approaches and data may provide valuable insights into the relationship between effective training and human reliability.