How to write SOP's that Avoid Human Error

Human error is known to be the primary cause of quality and production losses in many industries. Although it is unlikely that human error will ever be eliminated, many human performance problems can be prevented. Human errors start at the design stage. Procedures play a vital role in human reliability. Nevertheless, it is essential to understand human behavior and the psychology of error as well as understand exactly where the instructions weaknesses are so that procedures can be human engineered, improved and fixed.

Procedures account for more than 40% of human error events in manufacturing. The majority of regulatory citations are also related to procedures. Procedures are essential for both execution and audits. These should be written for users without missing relevant information for regulators. Usually, procedures have weaknesses that harm productivity, quality, and regulatory standing. We will discuss from content development to formats designed for human error reduction due to procedures.