Data Centre Management Case Study:
Human Factors Awareness: Streamlining Communications, Reducing Error
A large London based Data Centre Management company became aware that human error, in its varying forms, was responsible for the majority of its plant incidents.
Human factors is the scientific discipline based on understanding interactions between people, their environment and procedures. The company identified a need for human factors awareness training for all its engineers responsible for the building and plant management contracts for all of the London sites for one of the UK’s largest banks.
“A key part of providing engineering services to the critical environment market is the reliance on people to ensure service is delivered. We recognised that people are not perfect. Far from it in fact! Even the most experienced engineering operatives make mistakes. We were finding that the majority of plant incidents at our critical facilities could be linked to human error” – General Manager
Task
A tailor-made human factors training intervention was devised, aimed at increasing situational awareness and improving communications skills amongst a cadre of engineers spread across four major worksites in London’s major financial district.
Action Taken
An initial research phase included on-site familiarisation of the bank’s buildings, logistics and systems, as well as interviews with numerous engineers of diverse specialties, backgrounds and levels of experience. This enabled CTP to devise a one-day programme of human factors awareness training applicable to the specific environment and the roles. The programme was successfully delivered on an ongoing basis over a two-year period.
Results
The reported outcomes showed a positive change in work place culture and behaviours. This in turn resulted in better communications, a ‘one team’ ethos and a reduction in human error, with subsequent increase in efficiency and performance. Both the data centre management company and the bank reported benefits to all parties as a result of CTP’s training programme.
Client feedback...
By engaging Critical Team Performance we were able to raise the awareness of our engineers to the role they play in ensuring our customers receive a good service with maximum plant uptime.
Phil is passionate about the subject matter he teaches. All staff found the training informative and enlightening. The course really gets all members of the team thinking and I have no doubt that it will go a long way to helping reduce human errors in our field of engineering.
General Manager
