Answer
human element is the broad term covering all human involvement in ship operation, including people, organization, management, procedures and working environment. Human factors are the specific physical, psychological, organizational or environmental influences that affect human performance, such as fatigue, stress, workload, training and communication.
Human Element is the broader concept. It covers the complete interaction of people with the ship, equipment, organization, procedures, environment, management, training, safety culture, fatigue, communication, leadership, etc.
Human Factors are the specific conditions or influences that affect a person's performance and may contribute to safe or unsafe actions.
For example, human factors include:
- Fatigue
- Stress
- Poor communication
- Inadequate training
- Excessive workload
- Poor ergonomic design
- Distraction
- Lack of situational awareness
- Poor leadership
- Time pressure
So:
Human Element = the whole people-related system.
Human Factors = the individual influences affecting human performance within that system.