Certified Human Resource Professional (CHRP) Practice Exam

What would a power failure that causes an accident be classified as?

1. A situational factor.

2. A human factor.

3. An environmental factor.

4. A chance occurrence.

The correct answer is: A situational factor.

In the context of classifying the cause of an accident, a power failure that leads to an accident is best classified as a situational factor. Situational factors encompass those conditions or circumstances that impact how an event unfolds and can include technical failures, such as equipment malfunctions, power outages, or other systemic issues. These factors do not relate to human error or behavior but rather to the environment in which the work is conducted. Human factors typically refer to the actions, decisions, and errors made by individuals, while environmental factors may encompass broader elements of the physical or operational environment. A chance occurrence implies randomness or unpredictability without any identifiable conditions or mechanisms linking the failure to an accident. The classification of a power failure as a situational factor emphasizes its role as an external condition that affects safety and operational integrity, rather than attributing the incident to human choices or random chance.