Consolidation of the Generic Task Type database and concepts used in the Human Error Assessment and Reduction Technique (HEART)

Abstract

The Human Error Assessment and Reduction Technique (HEART) was created at a time when there was no publicly-accessible Internet, no easily-searched databases and, in some cases, only limited or, largely, non-existent Human Reliability information. Since then some Generic Task Type (GTT) data have become available and somewhat easier to quantify. This has made it possible to consolidate the method so as to confirm, revise and refine some of the GTTs to reflect new findings and to identify areas which require further research. Some 35,000 papers have been reviewed and, in the process, 175 usable data sources were identified. In most cases, the data underpinning the GTTs were found to be consistent with the original concepts, values and limits, but there were some cases where more information would be helpful. Whilst our work has shown that the factor additive concepts in the method are broadly valid and that the Human Error Probability (HEP) distributions are about ‘right’, it has highlighted that there are some important gaps in our GTT knowledge, particularly those to do with low and high end error probabilities. The authors anticipate that significant advances in the understanding of human error will be achieved, providing there is focused research from all of the human sciences to address these key areas.