Safety Critical Task Analysis (SCTA)

Integrated SCTA solutions including CIEHF accredited training, human factors consultancy services and IHF SaaS TASC™ software.

Mitigate accidents and incidents, improve business performance and efficiency whilst meeting COMAH-critical tasks compliance.

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Is Your Organisation Open to Worker, Regulatory and Financial Risks Due to a Lack of SCTA Expertise and Processes?

In safety-critical industrial operations, dangerous tasks that rely on people to undertake them have been a contributory factor in many accidents, incidents and near misses. Tragically leading to fatalities, injuries and environmental damage. Resulting in disruption to organisations and the public with significant emotional and financial costs. According to the COMAH Competent Authority, operators should use risk assessment and findings from accident and incident investigations to gain a clear understanding of where and when they are vulnerable to human failure (COMAH-critical tasks), how those failures are likely to occur — accounting for the different types of human error — and the Performance Influencing Factors (PIFs) that make those human errors more likely.

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COMAH Establishment Requirement

Topic 1 of the COMAH Competent Authority: Inspecting Human Factors at COMAH Establishments Delivery Guide relates to “Managing Human Performance” and Human Factors Specialist Inspectors are likely to inspect and rate this topic first, making the efficient implementation and practice of SCTA an integral part of the general duty under COMAH and The Control of Major Accident Hazards Regulations 2015, Section 5. Paragraph 82 of the L111 Guidance on Regulations states: “Where reliance is placed on people as part of the necessary measures, human factor issues should be addressed with the same rigour as technical and engineering measures.”

Lack of In-House Human Factors Expertise

The creation and evolution of an SCTA program requires significant human factors input. Without this, there can be a reliance on internal subjective experience on how to undertake safety-critical tasks and an external perspective may be lacking to highlight potential risks. Actions without context can lose importance without human factors knowledge, leading to lack of procedural alignment and increased inefficiencies. It is also important that SCTA processes are continuously monitored and improved to help mitigate accidents and incidents, improve business performance and efficiency whilst meeting COMAH-critical tasks compliance.

Problematic Paper, Spreadsheets and Word Processor Documents

The utilisation of traditional SCTA management tools leads to difficulties — that can crucially lead to hazards — such as auditability and repeatability, disparate, duplicated and scattered documents, incomplete and inconsistent processes, lack of control and visibility, potential data loss, reportability to regulators and the time wasted due to missteps and having to start again.

IHF SCTA Solution: CIEHF Accredited Training, Human Factors Consultancy Services and IHF SaaS TASC Software

IHF — a registered consultancy with the Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors (CIEHF) — can help an organisation implement and continuously develop a SCTA program. This includes CIEHF accredited training, human factors consultancy services and IHF SaaS TASC software. Providing integrated SCTA solutions, designed to mitigate accidents and incidents whilst meeting COMAH-critical tasks compliance — by human factors experts — in line with Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors (CIEHF), Energy Institute (EI), Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Human Performance Oil & Gas (HPOG) and International Association of Oil & Gas Producers (IOGP) guidelines.

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Meet COMAH-Critical Tasks Compliance

IHF human factors consultants have a proven track record of delivering SCTA solutions for clients in diverse high-hazard industries such as chemical manufacturing, oil and gas, petrochemicals, renewable energy, utilities and water with this being an integral part of the general duty under COMAH and The Control of Major Accident Hazards Regulations 2015, Section 5.

Independent and Human Factors Focused SCTA Expertise

IHF human factors consultants understand the topics of interest to HSE Human Factors Specialist Inspectors, and this is integral in the creation and evolution of clients’ SCTA programs. Whilst taking internal subjective experience into account, IHF involve all stakeholders related to a safety-critical task from an unbiased independent perspective.

Centralise and Digitalise Your SCTA Practice

A key differentiator in IHF’s SCTA consultancy and training is the additional value that can be provided with the implementation of IHF SaaS TASC software that enables an auditable, centralised, repeatable and visible SCTA process — accessed through a web browser, eliminating disparate, duplicated and scattered documents — allowing for a complete, consistent and controlled SCTA practice that can be efficiently reported to regulators with branded templates.

Build Your Intelligent Customer Capability

According to the HSE, “if an organisation employs the services of a contractor to undertake safety analyses, they must be able to ensure that the contractor is suitably qualified for the work, an appropriate methodology is used, and be able to ask appropriate questions.” As a result, IHF train as we consult to build organisations up to “intelligent customers” by raising the in-house capabilities of their human factors focal point to understand, monitor and in some cases deliver components of an SCTA.

The Safety Critical Task Analysis Process: IHF's Approach

This figure illustrates the SCTA process that IHF follows and advocates. Underlying this approach is our belief in keeping the process as straightforward and impactful as possible. IHF's expertise in this area allows us to regularly support clients throughout the SCTA process from the screening process, to the walk through and to the PIFs walk through. Additionally, the purpose of IHF SaaS TASC is to provide our clients with everything they need to complete and manage the SCTA process whilst minimising the need for additional expert support.

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The Benefits of IHF SCTA Solutions to You, Your Workers, Your Organisation and the Public

Protect Humans and the Environment From Harm

Effective SCTA program implementation and management can help identify Major Accident Hazard (MAH) risks earlier so that preventative and mitigative measures are promptly applied.

Address HSE and Environment Agency Concerns

Meeting regulatory compliance reduces external questions and queries regarding SCTA and helps build positive relationships and reputations with regulators.

Increase Operational Efficiency and Reduce Potential Costs

An effective SCTA program can help align Work as Imagined (WAI) with Work as Done (WAD) and mitigate potential financial costs from unnecessary rework projects and low-frequency, high-consequence accidents and incidents such as insurance, legal and repair costs.

SCTA Can Enhance Quality Assessments

Leading to process improvements that reduce costs such as production downtime, with the additional benefit of helping realise operational excellence targets such as the “golden batch”.

Save Weeks of Lost SCTA Progress

Missing a step or losing data in the SCTA process — that can happen with unstructured paper, spreadsheet and word processor documents management — is hazardous and can also lead to weeks of rectification work.

Days Saved in Crucial SCTA Reporting

IHF SaaS TASC automates many steps of the SCTA reporting process — including creating consistent reports in branded templates — making this less burdensome when required for regulation purposes and these reports are also a vital part of any subsequent ALARP demonstration requirements.

Single Version of the Truth

IHF SaaS TASC centralises, focuses and standardises the crucial SCTA practice through the digital transformation of the process and associated records enabling dashboard visibility and saved time searching for information.

Leverage Award-Winning Human Factors Expertise

By investing in IHF SCTA solutions you are also partnering with human factors experts who have a continuous improvement mindset and a passion to optimise workplace safety, demonstrated by the recent achievement of winning the Innovation Award at the Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors (CIEHF) Awards 2024.