IMPROVING SHIFT HANDOVER AND MAXIMISING ITS VALUE TO THE BUSINESS

Recent accidents at Buncefield and Texas City have illustrated how poor shift handover can contribute to major accidents. This is not a new discovery, but given the ever greater interest in human factors, it is one that is finally receiving attention. Shift handover is a complex, high risk activity that is performed very frequently. Normally we would try to 'engineer out' high risk frequent tasks, or at least automate them to minimise the likelihood of error. However, this is not an option for shift handover. There are two complimentary approaches that can be used to improve shift handover. The first is to improve the handover process by supporting the people involved with better systems, tools, and competencies. The second is to change perceptions by maximising the value of the information collected as part of the handover process and increasing its use. This creates additional stakeholders in the process and subsequently ensures a more effective feedback cycle regarding the quality of handover. This paper will examine the human factors involved in shift handover. Also, it will illustrate that information about minor incidents, human errors, and reliability issues is often collected; and will demonstrate how this can be collected and disseminated effectively and efficiently.