Authors
Farzad Naghdali, Maria Chiara Leva, Nora Balfe, Samuel Cromie
Publication date
2014
Publisher
Technological University Dublin
Description
Human Factors Engineering (HFE) focuses on the application of human factors knowledge to the design and construction of socio-technical systems. The objective is to ensure systems are designed so as to optimise the human contribution to production and minimise potential fr design-induced risks to health, personal or process safety or environmental performance (OGP, 2011). The ISO standard ISO 9241-210 (2010), Ergonomics of human-system interaction, requires that all new facilities projects apply the principles of Human Factors Engineering (HFE) during early design stages. In practice this means ensuring, as a minimum, that every new facilities project is screened in collaboration with the end users to identify whether there are any “hotspots”(risks, issues or opportunities) associated with the scope of the design project that justify further HFE activities. Further standards detail these activities, including physical and cognitive ergonomic assessments of the operator tasks, the equipment they will use to complete those tasks, and the environment in which they will be undertaken. However, the standards need to be generic enough so as to avoid being tailored to any specific design process; this in turns generates a need for more specific guidance on different processes and activities supporting a more holistic approach to guide Designers, Operators, Risk Assessors and Project Planners at design stage. This guidance should help stakeholders identify and recognise the value of Human Factors Engineering considerations to optimise and guide some of the solutions devised in the early stages. Such an approach should help avoid more costly …
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