Tag Archives: human factors
Human Factors at The Oscars
“An extraordinary blunder” It has variously been described as “an incredible and almost unbelievable gaffe” (Radio Times), “the greatest mistake in Academy Awards history” (Telegraph), “an extraordinary blunder…an unprecedented error” (ITV News), “the most spectacular blunder in the history of … Continue reading
Posted in Human Factors/Ergonomics, Safety, systems thinking
Tagged decision making, design, human error, human factors, Oscars, safeguards, safety-II, uncertainty, work-as-done
10 Comments
The Varieties of Human Work
The analysis of work cannot be limited to work as prescribed in procedures etc (le travail prescrit), nor to the observation of work actually done (le travail réalisé). Similarly, it cannot be limited to work as we imagine it, nor work as people talk about it. Only by considering all four of these varieties of human work can we hope to understand what’s going on. Continue reading
Posted in Human Factors/Ergonomics, Safety, systems thinking
Tagged aviation, ergonomics, field experts, focus groups, healthcare, human factors, interviews, observation, oil and gas, policy, procedures, QF32, rail, safety, safety-I, safety-II, systems thinking, task analysis, WebOps, work to rule, work-as-disclosed, work-as-done, work-as-imagined, work-as-judged
10 Comments
Human Factors at The Fringe: Nuclear Family
Nuclear Family is a gripping piece of interactive theatre which follows Joe and Ellen, nuclear plant workers and siblings, faced with an imminent disaster. Audience members will be privy to what could possibly be their last hours as they struggle … Continue reading
Posted in Human Factors/Ergonomics, Safety
Tagged accidents, empathy, hindsight, human factors, local rationality, outcome bias, safety, theatre
5 Comments
Human Factors at The Fringe: My Eyes Went Dark
Written and directed by Matthew Wilkinson. A thrilling modern tragedy about a Russian architect driven to revenge after losing his family in a plane crash. Cal MacAninch and Thusitha Jayasundera give electrifying performances in this searing new play about the … Continue reading
Posted in Human Factors/Ergonomics, Safety, systems thinking
Tagged accidents, art, blame, human error, human factors, just culture, management, safety, systems thinking, theatre
7 Comments
Human Factors at The Fringe
There have been many debates in human factors about its status as science or art or both, and the scientific literature has recorded some of the issues spanning back over 50 years (e.g., de Moraes, 2000; Moray, 1994; Wilson, 2000; … Continue reading
Posted in Culture, Human Factors/Ergonomics, Humanistic Psychology, Safety, systems thinking
Tagged art, communication, ergonomics, human factors, practice, research, safety, science, theatre
6 Comments
Never/zero thinking
There has been much talk in recent years about ‘never events’ and ‘zero harm’, similar to talk in the safety community about ‘zero accidents’. It sounds obvious: no one would want an accident. And we all wish that serious harm would not result from accidents. But as expressed and implemented top-down, never/zero is problematic for many reasons. In this post, I shall outline just a few, as I see them. Continue reading
Posted in Human Factors/Ergonomics, Safety, systems thinking
Tagged accidents, blame, human error, human factors, just culture, management, never events, safety, safety-I, safety-II, systems thinking, targets, zero harm
7 Comments
Alarm design: From nuclear power to WebOps
Me, myself and TMI Imagine you are an operator in a nuclear power control room. An accident has started to unfold. During the first few minutes, more than 100 alarms go off, and there is no system for suppressing the … Continue reading
Posted in Human Factors/Ergonomics, Safety
Tagged alarms, ergonomics, human factors, nuclear, QF32, TMI, WebOps
2 Comments
