HEDOMS—Human Error and Disturbance Occurrence in Manufacturing Systems: Toward the development of an analytical framework

Demands on modern manufacturing systems include those for increased flexibility, higher quality standards, and higher innovative capacities; these demands emphasize the need for high levels of overall system reliability. This article focuses on the reliability of all human elements of a manufacturing system and the way these interrelate with overall system performance. A contrast is made with how human reliability has been approached typically in high-risk industries. The concept of “disturbance” is used for assessment of the influence of human reliability on manufacturing system performance. An analytical framework has been proposed, currently under development, which is aimed at assessing the potential for human error and disturbance occurrence in manufacturing systems, and which accounts for active and latent failures and direct and root causes. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.