Human Error and Complex System Failures

3 credits · College of Engineering catalogue

Advisory Prerequisite: IOE 333 or IOE 536 or Permission of Instructor. Enforced Prerequisite: None. (3 credits) Introduction to a new systems-oriented approach to safety management and the analysis of complex system failures. The course covers a wide range of factors contributing to system failures: human perceptual and cognitive abilities and limitations, the design of modern technologies and interfaces, and biases in accident investigation and error analysis. Recent concepts in the area of high reliability organizations and resilience engineering are reviewed. Students perform systems analysis of actual mishaps and disasters in various domains, including various modes of transportation, process control and health care.