Human Factors Consulting
When systems don’t support people, risk and performance suffer
We help organisations identify and fix system, task, and environment design issues that drive errors, workarounds, fatigue risk, and performance variability.
When human factors issues go unresolved
Human factors problems rarely show up as a single failure. They appear as patterns:
- Repeat incidents or near misses despite corrective actions
- Procedures routinely adapted or bypassed to get work done
- Workarounds becoming normal practice
- Fatigue, mental workload, or pressure increasing over time
- Performance varying by shift, site, or individual
- Environments that make tasks harder than necessary
These are not behavioural problems.
They are system and design problems.
Our human factors services
We provide three focused human factors services, depending on where risk or uncertainty sits.
Human Factors-Led Workplace & Environment Design
Used when layout, access, interfaces, or task flow drive errors, workarounds, fatigue risk, or inefficiency.
Combines human factors field study with design ethnography and contextual design to ensure environments fit real work.
Fatigue Risk Assessment & Mental Workload Analysis
(Delivered using our Workload Performance Assessment framework)
Used when fatigue, mental workload, or pressure are quietly increasing risk to safety, reliability, or performance.
Helps organisations:
- Identify where fatigue and workload risk is emerging
- Understand which roles or tasks are most affected
- Prioritise intervention before errors or incidents occur
Safety-Critical Task Analysis
Used when task failure would have serious consequences.
Identifies:
- Credible failure modes
- System contributors to risk
- Where controls need strengthening to hold under pressure
Why human factors problems keep repeating
Many organisations attempt to fix issues by:
- Updating procedures
- Retraining individuals
- Adding more controls
Without understanding how work is actually done, these actions often fail — and the same problems reappear in a different form.
Human factors focuses on:
- The gap between work as imaginedand work as done
- How system, task, and environment design shape behaviour
- Why adaptations and workarounds make sense locally
This is where sustainable improvement starts.
How our approach differs
We focus on:
- Real work, not work as imagined
- System and environment design, not individual behaviour
- Evidence, not assumptions
- Practical change, not academic output
Human factors only adds value when it leads to measurable improvement in safety, reliability, or performance.
Who this work is for
Our human factors consulting supports organisations operating in:
- Industrial and manufacturing environments
- Safety-critical and regulated sectors
- Complex operations where reliability matters
Environments where people must perform under pressure
Some of our clients
Client Testimonials
Have questions?
We’re here to help
Morgan Maxwell is committed to transforming your workplace environments through strategic ergonomics solutions that enhance employee wellbeing, productivity, and long-term success.
Leicester Office
3rd floor, St George’s House, 6. St George’s Way, Leicester, Leicestershire, LE1 1QZ, UK
Contact Us
FAQs
When incidents or near misses repeat, procedures don’t reflect reality, workarounds are common, performance varies across teams or shifts, or fatigue and mental workload are increasing despite existing controls.
Human factors consulting helps address errors, workarounds, procedural drift, fatigue risk, performance variability, ineffective controls, and system or environment design issues that undermine safety and reliability.
It depends on where risk sits:
- Workplace & Environment Designwhen layout or environment contributes to errors, workarounds, fatigue risk, or inefficiency
- Fatigue Risk Assessment & Mental Workload Analysiswhen fatigue, mental workload, or pressure are increasing risk
- Safety-Critical Task Analysiswhen task failure would have serious consequences
A short scoping call helps confirm the best starting point.
Behavioural and compliance approaches focus on individual actions. Human factors focuses on system, task, and environment design — the conditions that shape behaviour and performance.
No. This work focuses on operational performance and risk reduction in real work environments, not user experience or interface design.
Work is scoped proportionately and planned to minimise disruption while still producing reliable, defensible insight aligned to operational reality.
The next step is a free 15-minute scoping call to discuss your context, risks, and objectives and confirm whether human factors support is appropriate.