A guide to human behaviour in the shipping industry has been launched by a consortium led by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA).

Ongoing investigations at the devastated Buncefield fuel depot have revealed possible problems with safety instrumentation and raised the issue of human factors in the management of major hazard sites.

An incident in which a well-established galvanizing-industry practice ended in a worker being badly burnt is one of several incidents that have prompted the HSE to look at how formal guidance for the sector on safe lifting can be improved.

Pall-Ex (UK), a Leicester-based haulage company that handles palletised goods, has been fined a total of £100,000 after a driver was killed when his forklift truck fell on him.

Tim Marsh takes a wry look at whether some individuals are more prone to ‘human error’ than others and ponders whether determining susceptibility one way or the other is actually of any use to employers.

Dr Andrew Fowler investigates how the potential for human failure is present throughout the entire lifecycle of a plant – from design right through to decommissioning – and determines the workability of instructions and emergency plans within this context.

Tim Marsh thinks companies need to train managers in practical people skills so they can properly engage their workforce and take their safety cultures on to the next level.

Major accidents in the oil, gas and chemical industries are, by definition, high consequence and include fires, explosions, and toxic releases. They are also, thankfully, relatively infrequent. Here, Martin Anderson writes about his personal experience of regulating the human aspects of health and safety on such major hazard sites.

The concept of behavioural safety is not new – it has long been recognised that rules and regulations work well until people are added to the mix, as human beings are, by nature irrational and unpredictable. When embracing behavioural safety, the most important thing for any organisation, argues Jane Gilham, is to make sure everyone is singing from the same hymn sheet.

Construction giant J Murphy & Sons is rolling out a bespoke behavioural change programme to 250 staff at its North West and Midlands divisions over the next two years.

Training video producer Outtake Film Communications is offering discounts on its video back catalogue to celebrate the launch of its new website.

Behavioural safety experts from SOG Ltd clocked up 52,000 miles and visited six continents in just 40 days to satisfy demand for a UK-based training package.