Definition

The Human Factors Analysis and Classification System (HFACS) was developed by Dr Scott Shappell and Dr Doug Wiegmann. It is a broad human error framework that was originally used by the U.S. Navy to investigate and analyse human factors aspects of aviation. HFACS is heavily based upon James Reason's Swiss cheese model (Reason 1990). The HFACS framework provides a tool to assist in the investigation process and target training and prevention efforts. Investigators are able to systematically identify active and latent failures within an organisation that culminated in an accident. The goal of HFACS is not to attribute blame; it is to understand the underlying causal factors that lead to an accident.

The HFACS Framework

The HFACS framework (Figure 1) describes human error at each of four levels of failure: