ORGANIZATIONAL FACTORS AND HUMAN ERRORS IN OIL AND GAS COMPANIES IN THE NIGER DELTA, NIGERIA

Abstract This study investigated the relationship between organizational factors and human errors in oil and gas companies in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria. The study was guided by two research objectives which are to determine the prevalence of organizational factors and level of human error in the oil and gas firms and to examine the correlation between the organizational factors and human errors in the oil and gas companies. A descriptive cross-sectional survey design was adopted, and the population consisted of 638 employees across 12 selected oil and gas companies operating in the region. Using the Taro Yamane formula, a sample size of 246 respondents was determined and proportionally allocated across the companies. Data were collected using a structured researcher-developed instrument. Data analysis was carried out using SPSS version 26, applying descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (Pearson correlation) at a 0.05 level of significance. The results of descriptive statistics revealed high prevalence of human error (mean = 3.39) and high level of organizational factors leading to human error (mean = 3.99). The results of inferential statistics revealed that organizational factors have significantly relationship with occurrence of human errors in oil and gas companies in the Niger Delta, with strong positive correlations observed between each factor and human error occurrence (r = 0.602, respectively; p < 0.05). The study concluded that there is high prevalence of human errors in the Niger Delta oil and gas sectors which is associated with organizational factors. This highlight the need for implementation of tailored training programs, strengthened safety culture, and improved communication and incident reporting systems to reduce error rates. Keywords: Organizational Factors, Human Errors, Oil and Gas Companies, Niger Delta, Nigeria