Tag Archives: ergonomics

The problem with professional appropriation: The case of ‘human factors’ and ‘ergonomics’

Posted on 08/10/2018 by

In a recent article in the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper by journalist Liam Mannix (A difficult position: Experts question whether ergonomics holds up), a Sydney University Professor calls out physical ‘ergonomics’ as bad science and practice: Every year, companies around … Continue reading →

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The Safety-II Dance: A Podcast by Greater Than Code

Posted on 31/07/2018 by

A few weeks ago, I had a chat with Jamey Hampton, Jessica Kerr, John K. Sawers of Greater Than Code. Here is the podcast that resulted, expertly produced by Mandy Moore. In the podcast, we roamed around topics of human factors/ergonomics, system performance … Continue reading →

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Suitably Qualified and Experienced? Five Questions to ask before buying Human Factors training or consultancy

Posted on 05/06/2018 by

Ergonomics (or human factors) is the scientific discipline concerned with the understanding of interactions among humans and other elements of a system, and the profession that applies theory, principles, data and methods to design in order to optimize human well-being … Continue reading →

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The Loneliest Profession in Healthcare

Posted on 11/05/2018 by

You’d expect that Human Factors/Ergonomics would be very relevant to the NHS. But is it actually integrated? Continue reading →

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Human Factors and Ergonomics: Looking Back to Look Forward

Posted on 25/02/2018 by

During the second world war, the United States lost hundreds of planes in accidents that were deemed ‘pilot error’. Crash landings were a particular problem for the Boeing B-17 ‘Flying Fortress’. The planes were functioning as designed, and the pilots … Continue reading →

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Four Kinds of Human Factors: 4. Socio-Technical System Interaction

Posted on 07/10/2017 by

This is the fourth in a series of posts on different ‘kinds’ of human factors, as understood both within and outside the discipline and profession of human factors and ergonomics itself. The first post explored human factors as ‘the human … Continue reading →

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Four Kinds of Human Factors: 3. Factors Affecting Humans

Posted on 18/09/2017 by

This third post explores another perspective on ‘human factors’: Factors Affecting Humans. Continue reading →

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