Limiting factors

All experience indicates that accidents cannot be avoided even with a high level of technical effort and intelligent control. Non-observance of technical specifications, age, current personal problems or biological fluctuations are cited as causes of human error. The question should be formulated in terms of how risk-affine persons can be differentiated from safety-oriented, attentive persons for sensitive activities.

Human error

People in responsible jobs are expected to have conscious control over their actions. What decides whether a mistake or a wrong decision suddenly happens at moment X? Everyday life is not uniform. On the one hand, people are subject to biological fluctuations and psychological stress. On the other hand, situations can reach a higher degree of complexity than usual and require extraordinary decisions. Acting in complex situations requires a high level of mental alertness, creativity and self-confidence.

Personal causes for misjudgments and wrong decisions

Most accidents resulting from human error are based on misjudgments and correspondingly wrong decisions. The list of causes is longer:

Learned carelessness (Frey & Schultz-Hardt, 1997): The term speaks for itself. It is about people who, floating on a cloud of constant experience of success, can neither recognize their failures nor the consequences of their actions. Carelessness is celebrated and care is unnecessary effort. Those who live in a state of carelessness are slow to change this state of being, even when information about a potential danger is available.

Information losses or information deficitsOn the way from A to B, serious losses of information often occur. The decision which information is relevant for B is subject to subjective filters of the person A who has the information. This can be based on an incorrect assessment of the context and consequences of content.

Missing parameters: Information deficits also arise when a person with a more pragmatic, hands-on nature relieves himself of tiresome information research. Others, however, look for information first before they act.

Carelessness: People in an alert mental state react more attentively and quickly to changes and unexpected situations. Mental alertness is considered the most important prerequisite for reacting optimally in complex situations. Mindfulness or alertness can be negatively influenced by personal problems.

Physiological factors

These include needs such as rest, hunger and thirst. Fatigue reduces attention and thus the quick and clear reaction speed. The negative effects of thirst and hunger can be easily observed in children. They become grumpy and react diffusely. The brain is our high performance organ. It consumes the most energy, especially when it is challenged. With the factor age the wealth of experience is positively connected, since problem definitions were already once through-exercised. However, age also brings with it a reduced thinking capacity that cannot be calculated in advance.

Some of the causes of misperceptions are intrinsic to the person, while others are situational. The factors intrinsic to the individual can be identified in good time during recruitment.

Capture personal characteristics

In which areas can predictions now be made in the context of recruitment? There is a new instrument for this: the Zug Stress & Personality Profile (ZSPP®). Captures mental presence (alertness) as an important prerequisite for an accurate, adequate response. However, such reactions can be slowed down by internal stressors. The ZSPP® is the first instrument to measure these blockages. Furthermore, the handling of information, reliability, independence, self-efficacy, solution orientation and social aspects such as cooperation in a team are measured.

Source: www.zspp.ch