About the Author
Steven Shorrock is an interdisciplinary humanistic, systems and design practitioner interested in human work from multiple perspectives.
Chartered Psychologist (CPsychol) & Chartered Ergonomist and Human Factors Specialist (CErgHF)
Tag Archives: ergonomics
What Human Factors isn’t: 1. Common Sense
‘Human Factors’ (or Ergonomics) is often presented as something that it’s not, or as something that is only a small part of the whole. Rather than just explain what Human Factors is, in this sporadic series of short posts I … Continue reading
Posted in Human Factors/Ergonomics
Tagged ergonomics, human factors, human factors engineering, myths
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The Organisational Homelessness of ‘Human Factors’
In this post, I outline four common homes for HF/E within organisations, drawing on personal experience in each of the four organisational divisions in different organisations. I conclude with some of the implications of organisational homelessness. Continue reading
Posted in Human Factors/Ergonomics, Systems Thinking
Tagged ergonomics, human factors, organisations, silos, Systems Thinking, work
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‘Human Factors’ and ‘Human Performance’: What’s the difference?
The term ‘Human Performance’ (and ‘Human and Organisational Performance’ (or HOP) has become increasingly common in recent years in a number of industries, especially those with a safety focus. It is often associated with ‘Human Factors’, or even used as … Continue reading
Posted in Human Factors/Ergonomics, Safety, Systems Thinking
Tagged behaviour, design, discipline, ergonomics, human factors, human performance, practice, profession, science, work
5 Comments
Giving Guidance to Government
This article was published in The Ergonomist, published by the Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors, No. 568, Nov-Dec 2018. From healthcare and patient safety, to the latest developments in driver automation, human factors is not only relevant across … Continue reading
Posted in Human Factors/Ergonomics
Tagged accidents, automation, autonomy, cars, committees, driving, ergonomics, expert witness, expertise, government, gross negligence manslaughter, healthcare, human factors, learning, policy, reviews, roads
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The problem with professional appropriation: The case of ‘human factors’ and ‘ergonomics’
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
Posted in Human Factors/Ergonomics
Tagged education, emergent expertise, ergonomics, experience, healthcare, human factors, profession, professional appropriation, professional desertification
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The Safety-II Dance: A Podcast by Greater Than Code
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
Posted in Culture, Human Factors/Ergonomics, Safety
Tagged ABCD, culture, empathy, ergonomics, human factors, safety, safety-II, WebOps
1 Comment
Suitably Qualified and Experienced? Five Questions to ask before buying Human Factors training or consultancy
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
Posted in Human Factors/Ergonomics
Tagged accreditation, ergonomics, ethics, human factors, practice, qualification, training
1 Comment
The Loneliest Profession in Healthcare
You’d expect that Human Factors/Ergonomics would be very relevant to the NHS. But is it actually integrated? Continue reading
Posted in Human Factors/Ergonomics, Safety
Tagged design, ergonomics, healthcare, human factors, practice, profession, safety
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Human Factors and Ergonomics: Looking Back to Look Forward
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
Posted in Human Factors/Ergonomics, Safety
Tagged aviation, ergonomics, healthcare, human factors, work-as-done, work-as-imagined
6 Comments
Four Kinds of Human Factors: 4. Socio-Technical System Interaction
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. This post explores a fourth kind of human factors: Socio-technical system interaction. Continue reading
