Employee Education System Human Factors and Ergonomic Interventions – Making for a Better World...

Employee Education System

Human Factors and Ergonomic Interventions – Making for a Better World

James L. Merlo

Human

Factors

PsychologyAppliedExperimental

Psychology

Human

Engineering

Ergonomics

CognitiveSystemsEngineering

Human

Factors

Engineering

Cognitive Systems Engineering

Human Factors Defined Human Factors discovers and applies

information about human behavior, abilities, limitations, and other characteristics to the design of tools, machines, systems, tasks, jobs, and environments for productive, safe, comfortable, and effective human use (Sanders and McCormick, 1993)

Human Factors IS NOT … Just using checklists and guidelines

Just using oneself as the model for designing things

Just common sense

Engineering Psychology:A Discipline at the Crossroads

Psychologists

Study

Humans

Engineers

Design

Machines

EngineeringPsychology

Human-Machine Systems

Psychologists study human behavior...

Engineers design things...

Engineering Psychologists design human-centered systems

Cost of Ignoring Human Factors is Poor Quality!

Increased probability of accidents and errors Less spare capacity to deal with emergencies Increased labor turnover Lower productive output Increases in lost time Higher medical costs Higher material costs Increased absenteeism Low quality work Injuries, strains

Everyone knows the stovetop examples…

Partnerships for Healing Environments 2008Darnell, M. J. (2006). Bad Human Factors Designs. Baddesigns.Com

Partnerships for Healing Environments 2008Darnell, M. J. (2006). Bad Human Factors Designs. Baddesigns.Com

Inconvenient…

Partnerships for Healing Environments 2008Darnell, M. J. (2006). Bad Human Factors Designs. Baddesigns.Com

Sometimes bad design just plain hurts…

Partnerships for Healing Environments 2008Darnell, M. J. (2006). Bad Human Factors Designs. Baddesigns.Com

Partnerships for Healing Environments 2008Darnell, M. J. (2006). Bad Human Factors Designs. Baddesigns.Com

Signs

Partnerships for Healing Environments 2008Darnell, M. J. (2006). Bad Human Factors Designs. Baddesigns.Com

Signs

Partnerships for Healing Environments 2008Darnell, M. J. (2006). Bad Human Factors Designs. Baddesigns.Com

Partnerships for Healing Environments 2008

Regular Insulin N (for NPH Insulin).

What's in the bottle?

What about the science…CAPITAL LETTERS

• WORD• EASIER• FASTER• BUT BECOMES MORE DIFFICULT WHEN

PART OF A SENTENCE BECAUSE…• We use context to read and the shape

matters

Partnerships for Healing Environments 2008

Working Memory

Size 7 +/- 2 chunks VAFBICIADODIRA

• VA FBI CIA DOD IRA Area codes Credit card numbers are divided into

chunks…. Expert memories…or really good

chunkers

Partnerships for Healing Environments 2008

Doubting me still….

Alphabet• 26 letters…• or 8 chunks?

Partnerships for Healing Environments 2008

ABCD EFG HIJK LMNOP

QRS TUV WX YZ

Bad design doesn’t matter…Things are disposable

Partnerships for Healing Environments 2008