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Human Factors for Safety Critical Systems (HUFS)

Overview

This course aims to:

This course introduces you to concepts and techniques that can be used to support the design and evaluation of complex interactive systems, with a particular emphasis on safety critical systems. These techniques include work analysis (including task analysis and scenario analysis), human error assessment, design and evaluation of interactive systems and human reliability assessment.

By the end of this course you will have an understanding of:

  • Usability its relation to error;
  • User requirements elicitation and analysis;
  • Work representation – hierarchical task analysis;
  • Principles of design and prototyping;
  • Evaluation of interactive systems;
  • Errors and principles relating to human reliability;
  • Human reliability analysis;
  • Human error analysis.

Who is the course for?

This course is suitable for:

  • Practitioners across all domains including aerospace, military, railway, automotive, civil nuclear, civil maritime, medical devices and healthcare;
  • Developers of equipment safety cases during design for software, hardware, procedures, systems and/or platforms;
  • Developers of safety cases for operational safety and disposal;
  • Reviewers of safety cases within an organisation or as an independent activity;
  • Developers and reviewers of changes to existing safety-critical / safety-related equipment and operations;
  • Project managers where development of a safety case is a significant element of projects they manage;
  • Regulators of safety critical domains.

Prerequisites

A basic understanding of system safety terminology and lifecycle via prior learning or industrial experience. It is useful for you to have taken our Foundations of System Safety Engineering course.

If you are unsure about your previous experience, please email the MSc SCSE and Short Courses Team at cs-safety-courses@york.ac.uk so that we can assess your suitability for this course.

How is the course taught?

During your course, you will have full access to the benefits of the York approach, with experienced and knowledgeable lecturing staff on hand throughout the week, as well as the opportunity to gain insights from your industry peers.
 
During the 2024/25 academic year courses will be taught in a blended format. There will be three days of face-to-face teaching in York, taking place on Tuesday to Thursday of the teaching week. In addition students will be provided with self-study materials totaling some 10 - 15 hours of study time. These will be split between work to be completed before the in-York sessions and materials to be studied afterwards. 

During the teaching week there will be a combination of lecture materials and case studies to explore. The case studies give you the chance to work through an example to reinforce your learning from the lectures.
 
Each course ends with an optional assessed exercise that is undertaken away from the University over 5 weeks following the taught element of the module. Each assessment takes approximately 65 hours in addition to the scheduled teaching time, of which we estimate students spend 30 hours undertaking private study plus 35 hours writing up the assessment. All assessed exercises are open (so you won't take an exam in supervised conditions), and comprise a report, case study, or documented piece of software.

If you choose to take the assessment and you pass, your results can count towards the completion of one of our postgraduate awards: 

You should apply for your Masters, Diploma or Certificate award after taking no more than 40 credits of modules. All components of your chosen postgraduate award, including modules taken as SCSE short courses, must be taken within a five year time period.

When will this course be taught?

The key dates for this course in the 2024/25 academic year are as follows:

Registration closes: Friday 07/03/2025

Preparatory materials released: Friday 21/03/2025

Face-to-face teaching: Tuesday 01/04/2025 - Thursday 03/04/2025

Recommended reading

  • Hollnagel, E., Human reliability analysis: context and control, Academic Press, 1993 
  • Hollnagel, E., Cognitive Reliability and Error Analysis Method, Elsevier Science Ltd, 1998 
  • Kirwan B. and Ainsworth L.K., A guide to task analysis, Taylor and Francis, 1992 
  • Kirwan B. A guide to practical human reliability assessment, Taylor and Francis, 1992 
  • Norman D., The design of everyday things, Basic Books, 1988 
  • Perrow C., Normal accidents: living with high risk technologies, Basic Books, 1994 
  • Preece, J., Rogers, Y. and Sharp, H., Interaction design: beyond human-computer interaction, John Wiley and Sons, 2002 
  • Reason J.T., Human Error, Cambridge University Press, 1990 
  • Vicente, K.J., Cognitive Work Analysis Lawrence, Erlbaum Associates. 1999 
  • Villemeur A., Reliability, availability, maintainability and safety assessment vol. 2, Wiley, 1992 
  • Baddeley, A.D., Your memory: a user's guide, Penguin, 1982 
  • Newman W.M. & Lamming M.G., Interactive system design, Addison-Wesley, 1995 
  • Reason, J., Managing the risks or organizational accidents, Ashgate Publishing Ltd, 1997

Booking conditions

Booking Conditions

  • Acceptance onto a short course is at the agreement of the course leader. They will want to assure themselves that you have the relevant level of background knowledge. You may therefore be asked to provide a CV detailing your knowledge / experience in particular areas.
  • Course fees quoted include all relevant course materials, tuition and examinations, lunch and refreshments.
  • A completed booking form with Purchase Order or payment is required no later than one month before the course starts, or immediately for bookings made within one month of the beginning of the course.
  • Fees are payable to The University of York.
  • Payment can also be made by credit or debit card. 

Cancellations

We regret that a fee must be charged when confirmed bookings are cancelled or transferred to future dates. In the event of a cancellation, you may nominate a substitute
(acceptance of this substitution is subject to academic and availability conditions). If a suitable substitute cannot be found the following scale of charges will apply:

  • 56 days or more before the programme starts ‐ full refund
  • 55 days or less ‐ 50% refund
  • 28 days or less ‐ 25% refund
  • 14 days or less ‐ no refund

Transfers to a postgraduate award

Students who attend any short course(s), and subsequently choose to undertake a full MSc, Certificate or Diploma, will be entitled to some credit of the fees already paid, which can be used towards the cost of the full award. The credit a student is entitled to is calculated as follows:

Module Credit % of the fees already paid
1st module 85%
2nd module 75%
3rd module 70%
4th module 70%

You should apply for your chosen postgraduate award after taking no more than 40 credits of modules. All components, including modules taken as SCSE short courses, must be taken within a five year time period.

We reserve the right to amend published information.

Book your place

Before you make your booking, please ensure that you have read our Booking Conditions.

Enrolling on your course

Please complete the CPD Booking Form and return it to cs-safety-courses@york.ac.uk. Once this form has been processed, you will be able to use e:Vision to access your student record. Please include your name in the 'subject' of your email.

Paying for your course

If your employer will be paying for your training and you would like us to raise an invoice, please complete the CPD Payment Form and return it to cs-safety-courses@york.ac.uk. Please include your name in the 'subject' of your email.

If you wish to pay by credit or debit card, click the 'pay online' button, below.

Pay online

Contact us

MSc SCSE and Short Courses Team

cs-safety-courses@york.ac.uk