Having spent over 30 years working with fleet-based organisations, it was clear that many road safety professionals have gaps in their knowledge and skills with regards Human Factors. However, no courses were available to help them to develop these competences. I designed and developed the new Human Factors and Road Risk Management course to guide Road Safety Professionals across a broad range of key human factors’ topics relevant to road safety. The course has a practical focus by developing skills in road risk
management so that delegates are able to apply the competences they have developed to address their own organisational needs.
After a 12-month course design and development period, I submitted the application and course materials for accreditation to the Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors (CIEHF). Experts designing and delivering a CIEHF accredited courses must hold suitable and sufficient Human Factors qualifications and experience in the topics being taught and be able to cover the scope and depth of the content. My training in Human Factors began in 1984 with an accredited BSc in Human Psychology and I was awarded a PhD in Driving Behaviour in 1992. Since then I have specialised in Traffic Psychology and was awarded Chartered and Fellowship status with the CIEHF. I was therefore able to confirm my qualifications and experience in the field.
To achieve course accreditation, the CIEHF must be satisfied that the course content covers an understanding of interactions among humans and other elements of a system, and the application of theory, principles, data, and methods to optimize human well-being and overall system performance. The course content must also cover CIEHF’s Professional Competency Checklist areas for Human Factors specialists and teach delegates how to identify methods and apply them for tasks, activities, and environments.
In 2022, the course was assessed by two Chartered Human Factors’ specialists acting as reviewers for the CIEHF. The reviewers judged the course as meeting the high standards required to develop human factors competence in traffic safety and awarded the course with accredited status.
The ‘Human Factors in Road Risk Management’ course was then launched, and I’ve since delivered the course to nearly 100 road safety professionals from a range of industries and organizations. The course is highly interactive with the opportunity to engage with other delegates and develop Human Factors competencies with the use of case study examples. At the end of the course, delegates complete a short assessment and are awarded a CIEHF accredited certificate.
This blog is the first of a series to document the development of the course and its content and structure. The aim of the series is to introduce each of the five modules in more detail. We will explain what’s covered in each module and show how road safety professionals benefit from developing Human Factors knowledge and skills in these topics.
