Human factor analysis and classification system for the oil, gas, and process industry

Human error can cause severe problems in industrial oil, gas, and chemical processes. Although human factors analysis and classification systems (HFACSs) for the oil and gas industry (HFACS-OGI) and the small-scale chemical industry (HFACS-CSMEs) have been independently developed, there are some limitations in providing detailed information on the contributing factors. Therefore, a new HFACS must be developed that can be commonly applied to the oil, gas, and chemical fields. This paper develops an integrated HFACS that can be applied to the oil, gas, chemical, and power plants, called HFACS-OGAPI, by analyzing 45 accidents that occurred in domestic and overseas oil, gas, chemical, and power plants, based on the HFACS-OGI system. An integrated HFACS-OGAPI that can be applied to the oil, gas, chemical, and power plants is developed. The framework effectively identifies the contributing factors by providing specific information on Tiers 1, 2, 3, and 4 for Levels 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. The contributing factors are effectively identified by analyzing the BP Texas Refinery explosion (2005), the Kleen Energy natural gas explosion (2010), and the Aghorn Operating Waterflood Station accidents (2019) with the developed framework. A checklist suitable for the HFACS-OGAPI is developed by considering the contents developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the Department of Defense to determine the contributing factors. The developed checklist is expected to effectively identify and improve on the causes of human error through periodic inspection.