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Safety of Consumer Products: Risk, Responsibility and Reputation
Cartagena de Indias, Colombia September 3-4, 2015
Carol Pollack-Nelson, Ph.D. Independent Safety Consulting 301-340-2912 [email protected]
Human Factors Psychology: Strategies for Anticipating
and Addressing Product Hazards
Human Factors Psychology
Seeks to understand & enhance interaction
between consumers and products
Carol Pollack-Nelson, Ph.D. Independent Safety Consulting 301-340-2912 [email protected]
Objectives of a HF Analysis
• How will consumer use and respond to product? - Who are foreseeable users? - What are intended &
reasonable unintended uses? - What are reasons for
“misuse”; Can these be prevented?
• Identify hazardous components, procedures
Carol Pollack-Nelson, Ph.D. Independent Safety Consulting 301-340-2912 [email protected]
Behavioral Task Analysis:
How will the product be used?
Carol Pollack-Nelson, Ph.D. Independent Safety Consulting 301-340-2912 [email protected]
1. Assembly 2. Product use 3. Cleaning, Troubleshooting 4. How consumers leave product (e.g.,
disassembly, storage, turning product off)
Consider all Steps in Using a Product
Carol Pollack-Nelson, Ph.D. Independent Safety Consulting 301-340-2912 [email protected]
Assembly: Instruction Manuals
Carol Pollack-Nelson, Ph.D. Independent Safety Consulting 301-340-2912 [email protected]
Used as needed Stored in a drawer Consulted as needed
Consumers Assemble Products Intuitively
Carol Pollack-Nelson, Ph.D. Independent Safety Consulting 301-340-2912 [email protected]
Guide Intuitive Assembly with Sensory Feedback
• Consumers rely on senses
to guide assembly
• Provide overlapping or redundant sensory cues, (especially if vision is limited)
• No erroneous or conflicting
cues
Carol Pollack-Nelson, Ph.D. Independent Safety Consulting 301-340-2912 [email protected]
• If so, does this lead to a “critical” error? • Design components that should not be
interchanged so that they cannot be interchanged.
Are Components Interchangeable?
Carol Pollack-Nelson, Ph.D. Independent Safety Consulting 301-340-2912 [email protected]
Are instructions easy to follow by intended user?
– Readability of text – Are all components
depicted & identified? – Do pictures & words
correspond? – Have instructions
reviewed by native speaker
Carol Pollack-Nelson, Ph.D. Independent Safety Consulting 301-340-2912 [email protected]
#2 - Using the Product
Carol Pollack-Nelson, Ph.D. Independent Safety Consulting 301-340-2912 [email protected]
Consumers Expectations & Hazard Awareness • They don’t expect major
surprises (hazards) • Consumers are often unaware
of hazards with common household products
• They expect product has been tested & is safe
Carol Pollack-Nelson, Ph.D. Independent Safety Consulting 301-340-2912 [email protected]
Ensure Product Meets or Exceeds Mandatory & Voluntary Standards
• Standards are minimum requirements
• Compliance does NOT assure product is safe
- Limited number of standards - Written for a class of products - Developed as part of a consensual process • Develop internal standards - For specific product - Likely use behaviors
Consumers are Efficient
• They overtax products • Design products to
withstand reasonable abuse
Carol Pollack-Nelson, Ph.D. Independent Safety Consulting 301-340-2912 [email protected]
Consumers Multi-Task
• May not watch product consistently for extended time
• Build prevention devices
into the product (e.g., automatic shut-off; whistle)
Carol Pollack-Nelson, Ph.D. Independent Safety Consulting 301-340-2912 [email protected]
Consumers Forget to Turn Things Off
• They get distracted; they fall asleep
• They think the product should be safe to stay on for a long time
• Built-in safety devices (auto shut-off;
timer)
Carol Pollack-Nelson, Ph.D. Independent Safety Consulting 301-340-2912 [email protected]
Past Experiences Guide Behavior • Past experience with similar products
leads to expectations of how new product functions
• “Behavioral script”
• Potential problem: Familiar product that functions differently or has new interface
• New designs need to respect
consumer habits… or need to break the “script” by impeding old behaviors.
Carol Pollack-Nelson, Ph.D. Independent Safety Consulting 301-340-2912 [email protected]
Children are Attracted to Adult Products
• Features that Appeal To
Children – Appears child-like, looks like
product intended for play – Has responsive features –
produce visual or auditory reaction
– Allows for imitation of adults – Sweet smells; looks like
candy • Utilize child-resistant
features
Carol Pollack-Nelson, Ph.D. Independent Safety Consulting 301-340-2912 [email protected]
More Likely to Use Safety Equipment When It Is Included
Carol Pollack-Nelson, Ph.D. Independent Safety Consulting 301-340-2912 [email protected]
• Perception: If the safety device is truly necessary, it would be included
• Extra cost
#3 - Cleaning & Fixing Product
Carol Pollack-Nelson, Ph.D. Independent Safety Consulting 301-340-2912 [email protected]
When Something Goes Wrong,
People Explore with their Fingers
• …Or they use whatever is
handy • No accessible sharp, moving
components, or “live” components
Carol Pollack-Nelson, Ph.D. Independent Safety Consulting 301-340-2912 [email protected]
• Is there a practical way to clean or fix the product?
• Are suitable cleaning
products specified; consumers use what is handy
More on Troubleshooting &
Cleaning
Carol Pollack-Nelson, Ph.D. Independent Safety Consulting 301-340-2912 [email protected]
#4 - Disassembly & Storage
Carol Pollack-Nelson, Ph.D. Independent Safety Consulting 301-340-2912 [email protected]
“Store Away From Children” • Consumer storage = out of child’s
reach + convenient, practical • Storing “out of reach” does not make
a product inaccessible • Common place for storage = the
garage, shed or storage room (where toys may also be stored)
• Child-resistant features protect best
Carol Pollack-Nelson, Ph.D. Independent Safety Consulting 301-340-2912 [email protected]
Static Anthropometry
• Measures body in standardized static postures – Stature (height) – Weight – Center of gravity – Body breadths, depths,
circumferences – Height of body landmarks from
floor – Seated height
• Dynamic measurements • Strength of arms, hands,
fingers, legs & mouth – Gross behaviors -
Pushing, pulling, lifting – Fine motor behaviors -
(wrist) twisting, pinching, gripping, squeezing, biting forces, lip strength
Strength Data
Strength Data - For inclusion
• Useful for determining if intended user will be able to open container or operate product
Be Aware of Human Variability
• Inconsistency within an age group
• Sex differences, puberty
• Inconsistency within a person’s body
• Cultural differences
• Subject – Posture for static
measurements of body dimensions
– Effort for dynamic measurements
• Tester – Directions given – Read-out of certain
devices
Potentially Confounding Factors
Addressing Product Hazards: Follow the Safety Hierarchy
Carol Pollack-Nelson, Ph.D. Independent Safety Consulting 301-340-2912 [email protected]
First - Eliminate the Hazard
Carol Pollack-Nelson, Ph.D. Independent Safety Consulting 301-340-2912 [email protected]
Second - Guard Against the Hazard:
Block Access
Carol Pollack-Nelson, Ph.D. Independent Safety Consulting 301-340-2912 [email protected]
Guard Against Hazard: Auto Shut-Off
Carol Pollack-Nelson, Ph.D. Independent Safety Consulting 301-340-2912 [email protected]
Last – Warn About the Hazard
Carol Pollack-Nelson, Ph.D. Independent Safety Consulting 301-340-2912 [email protected]
Even Large and Conspicuous Warnings are often Overlooked
Carol Pollack-Nelson, Ph.D. Independent Safety Consulting 301-340-2912 [email protected]
Consumers Don’t Notice Warnings on Familiar Products
Carol Pollack-Nelson, Ph.D. Independent Safety Consulting 301-340-2912 [email protected]
High “Cost” Reduces Compliance
Carol Pollack-Nelson, Ph.D. Independent Safety Consulting 301-340-2912 [email protected]
Warnings Cannot Overcome
Intuitive Use
Carol Pollack-Nelson, Ph.D. Independent Safety Consulting 301-340-2912 [email protected]
Thank You
Carol Pollack-Nelson, Ph.D. Independent Safety Consulting 301-340-2912 [email protected]