One More Time: Is “Human Error” a Root Cause?

The Hindu reported that a crane accident was caused by human error.
The V. Somasundaram, chief general manager (construction) from Chennai Metro Light Rail, said:

“The operator mishandled the crane. Usually, the crane is perpendicular to the object it is lifting, but the operator positioned it at an angle of 30 degrees from the object.”

Here’s another quote from the article:

“According to sources with the contractor, crane operator Amalesh Yadav from Bihar is a 22-year-old with over a year’s experience in operating cranes. Police are looking for Amalesh, who has been absconding since the accident.”

Human error as a “cause” or is it a Causal factor that needs to be investigated further?

What do you think???