Formalising Human Error Resistance and Human Error Tolerance

A key aim of human-machine interface design for aircraft control systems it to prevent pilot errors from jeopardising the safety of the aircraft. In terms of safety engineering designers should seek designs that minimise the risk of human error. To achieve this designers should aim to produce designs for control systems that minimise the probability of human errors occurring, and that minimise the adverse consequences when such errors do occur. In this paper we show how, by using formal mathematical models as design representations for aircraft control systems, properties that contribute to the reduction of the risk from human error can be verified at an early stage of the design process. By verifying such properties early in the design process, designers may be able to avoid costly re-designs to correct problems identified by later safety evaluation.