Book excerpt: Call it the Human element in how a refining and chemical process operation is run....the other side of the machine and control system operation equation. Its value is in lives protected and money saved. This plain English guide to the principles of human factors will enable operations and control personnel—both the experienced and uninitiated— to understand how to successfully incorporate the concepts within their own plants. Through real-world examples, the author explains how human factors engineering concepts do, and must, dovetail with process plant design and operation. Offering practical insights, the book lays out the principles of human-system interactions and how they must be incorporated into any plant and control system from the get go—in order to ensure safe and efficient operations. Control engineers and operations managers will gain incomparable, inside-the-industry experience from: • Clear discussion of performance-shaping factors; • In-depth discussion of key variables in terms of workload and staffing; • A detailed analysis of the all-important human-machine interface, including content and format; • How-to planning for system demands and levels of automation; • Invaluable guidance on worker selection and training, along with sample procedures and job aids; and • Tools for investigation of incidents and near-misses from the human perspective.