A Systematic Review of Methodologies for Assessing the Impact of Human and Organizational Factors on Safety Barrier Performance in Process Industries

Alireza  Azarmehri; Ali  Karimi; Omran  Ahmadi

doi:10.18502/jhsw.v15i1.21366

Alireza Azarmehri Department of Occupational Health and Safety Engineering, School of Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Ali Karimi Department of Occupational Health and Safety Engineering, School of Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Omran Ahmadi Department of Occupational Health and Safety Engineering, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Tarbiat Modares, Tehran, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/jhsw.v15i1.21366

Keywords: Safety barrier, Human and organizational factors, Barrier performance assessment, Process industries

Abstract

Introduction: Barriers play a critical role in mitigating risks and preventing catastrophic incidents inprocess industries. Human and Organizational Factors (HOFs) significantly influence the performance ofsafety barriers. This systematic review investigates existing frameworks and methods for assessing theimpact of HOFs on safety barrier performance.

Material and Methods: A systematic search was conducted across the Scopus and Web of Sciencedatabases, following the PRISMA guidelines. The search aimed to identify studies presenting methodologiesfor evaluating the influence of HOFs on safety barrier performance in process industries. Data weresubsequently extracted from the 16 included studies.

Results: The 16 studies included in this research presented various methods and frameworks examiningthe impact of HOFs on different types of safety barriers, including technical, operational, and humanbarriers, across industries such as oil and gas, chemical, and steel. Barrier and Operational Risk Analysis(BORA) emerged as the predominant framework among the studies. Research on operational andhuman barriers, which depend on human actions and procedures, frequently identified factors such ascompetence, training, communication, and supervision as key influencers of performance. In contrast,studies on technical barriers highlighted the importance of assessing factors such as maintenancemanagement and procedural compliance.

Conclusion: This research highlights the critical role of HOFs in safety barrier performance within processindustries. By systematically reviewing existing methodologies, the study identified their strengths andweaknesses. Findings underscore the need to account for uncertainties in expert judgments and theinterplay between HOFs in evaluation models. The integration of fuzzy logic and Bayesian networks isproposed to enhance evaluation processes. Future research should prioritize the development of unifiedframeworks that address the limitations of current approaches while expanding their applicability acrossdiverse industries