SYNOPSIS   

Human performance in design, from a capacity-based safety perspective, recognises that people work in real conditions, not ideal ones. Time pressure, uncertainty, workload, and environmental factors shape how work is actually performed. Design should therefore focus on supporting people, rather than assuming perfect behaviour. Capacity-based safety views human variability as normal and necessary. People continuously adapt and make adjustments to keep work going. Instead of trying to eliminate this variability, good design builds system capacity to manage it safely.

This means designing systems that are easy to understand, reduce unnecessary complexity, and support good decision-making. It also means including safeguards that allow errors to be detected early and recovered before they lead to harm. Design should expect failure and ensure systems can fail safely, absorb disturbances, and prevent escalation. In this approach, safety is defined not by the absence of incidents, but by the presence of capacity. The ability of people and systems to anticipate, respond, adapt, and recover. Human performance becomes an outcome of well-designed systems, not just individual effort. When design context is in line with the capacity-based safety mindset, people are no longer treated as risks to be controlled, but as contributors to system resilience. This leads to safer and more reliable performance, especially when reality does not go according to plan.


BIODATA OF SPEAKER

Dr. Taram Satiraksa Wan Abdullah

Dr. Taram Satiraksa Wan Abdullah is a seasoned Safety professional with nearly 30 years of experience across the oil and gas, manufacturing, and technology sectors. Currently a freelance trainer, lecturer and consultant. A Professional Member of the American Society of Safety Engineers for over 25 years, he is recognized for pioneering the Capacity-Based Safety paradigm, integrating Resilience Engineering and Human & Organizational Performance (HOP).

He received the Best Paper Award at Loss Prevention Asia 2025 for “Safety is the Presence of Capacity – A Paradigm Shift.” Dr. Taram served on the PIMMAG Advisory Committee (2019–2024) and has been Chairman of the PTA for Sekolah Kebangsaan Salak and Sekolah Rendah Agama Giching since 2018, while actively contributing to academia and professional development