Which hazard category is considered a human factor hazard?

• A. Environmental/weather hazards
• B. Human factors (fatigue, cognition)
• C. Terrain/obstacles
• D. Mechanical failures

Answer: (B)

Hazards are grouped by where the risk comes from, and fatigue and cognitive performance are issues tied to the person doing the task. This category focuses on human performance factors—things like fatigue, attention, judgment, and decision-making. When these human elements degrade, safety risk rises, making it a human factors hazard. The other categories—environmental or weather conditions, terrain and obstacles, and mechanical failures—are about conditions outside the person’s mental state, not about how the person thinks or feels. So recognizing fatigue and cognition as a human factors hazard helps you plan for rest, mental workload management, and clear communication to keep operations safe.