Cognitive Ergonomics

Over the past two decades, the 'new view' has become a popular term in safety theory and practice. It has however also been criticised, provoking division and controversy. The aim of this article is to clarify the current situation. It describes the origins, ambiguities and successes of the 'new view' as well as the critiques formulated. The article begins by outlining the origins of this concept, in the 1980s and 1990s, from the cognitive (system) engineering (CSE) school initiated by Rasmussen, Hollnagel and Woods. This differed from Reason's approach to human error in this period. The article explains how Dekker, in the early 2000s, translates ideas from the CSE school to coin the term 'new view', while also developing, shortly after, an argument against Reason's legacy that was more radical and critical than his predecessors'. Secondly, the article describes the ambiguities associated with the term 'new view' because of the different programs that have derived from CSE (Resilience Engineering-RE then Safety II, Safety Differently, Theory of Graceful Extensibility). The text then identifies three programs by different thinkers (methodological, formal and critical) and Dekker's three eclectic versions of the 'new view'. Thirdly, the article discusses the success of the CSE and RE school, showing how it has strongly resonated with many practitioners outside the academic world. Fourthly, the objections raised within the field of human factors and system safety but also from different traditions (e.g., system safety engineering with Leveson, sociology of safety with Hopkins) are introduced, and discussed.

ABSTRACT Human factors and ergonomics applies scientific information about human cognition and behavior to support the design of products and systems that enhance human well-being and performance. Human factors and ergonomics professionals investigate human–system interaction at the individual, group, and organizational levels. The aim is to design products that augment human physical, cognitive, and motivational capabilities and improve the social, technical, and organizational aspects of a system. Human factors and ergonomics has been used to improve safety and productivity particularly in complex sociotechnical systems.

In the following paper, I present through four practical examples how the development of mobile applications changed during the COVID-19 pandemic 2020 springtime. To what extent was the work of designers-developers determined by the quarantine, and by the possible time constraints? Which part of their work did they reduce most, and what could go on unchanged? The BPXV app was developed at the request of the 15th district of Budapest to help the district residents to shop and get their medicines during the confinement. A refreshing exception among the examples is the app created to replace Easter watering, Locsolkodj.hu. I also present two solutions suitable for contact tracking, the Virus Radar created in Macedonia, which became the official Hungarian contact tracking app, and the Austrian STOPP CORONA interface/platform? In order to find out the answers to the above questions, I conducted written and telephone interviews with the owners, designers, developers, or researchers of eac...

Root cause analysis is perhaps the most widely used tool in healthcare risk management, but does it actually lead to successful risk control? Are there categories of risk control that are more likely to be effective? And do healthcare risk managers have the tools they need to support the risk control process? This systematic review examines how the healthcare sector translates risk analysis to risk control action plans and examines how to do better. It suggests that the hierarchy of risk controls should inform risk control action planning and that new tools should be developed to improve the risk control process.

The paper offers a social science perspective on some of the assumptions and abstractions implicit in the semantic web vision in one bio-medical domain. The focus here is on the more persistent semantic and systemic alignment issues in the context of neuro-psychiatric disease, as experienced by Grid projects working in this domain in the UK, EU and US, where the opportunities and the challenges of integration have been particularly evident.

Cognitive Ergonomics has always been concerned with the cognitive and user aspects of using the computer systems to operate and control production systems such as industrial installations, Air Traffic Control and office systems. The introduction of computer systems outside the traditional application areas poses challenges to Cognitive Ergonomics and we need to adapt our design approaches and practices to the newly emerging interaction techniques and the expanding application context of HCI systems. User centred and interaction design methods focus on the isolated use of the design product, even though that product will only be a part of a complete working environment or context of use. In this workshop, we invite researchers, educators and practitioners to reconsider the role of Cognitive Ergonomics within the design of HCI systems. Interaction design: Interaction design process and methods-User interface design, User centered design. Human computer interaction (HCI): HCI design and evaluation methods, HCI theory, concepts and models.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a condition related to mental development disability that impacts how a person perceives and socializes with others, causing problems in behaviour, social interaction and communication. The disorder also includes limited and repetitive patterns of behaviour. Moreover, autism has broad variation in the type and severity of disorder children experience and this disorder can occurs in any strata of society, therefore it is known as “spectrum disorder”. Despite that ASD has long time effect, however, proper medical treatment can aid to better recovery and functioning of the children to interact within their social circle.Consequently, assistive technology has been a core link in the chain that enables children with disabilities to lead a life where they enjoy and exercise their rights rather than being destitute. This review paper focuses on investigating the various technologies and its’ effect on special need children to improve their performance in education and assist in their rehabilitation. This paper expound about the assistive technology and its relation with autism disorder. The study is supported by literature reviewed through various sources such as Google scholar, Springer, Pub Med and books. In conclusion, assistive technologies work as imperative tool which seriously boost autistic children confidence in independently functioning skill. Indeed, it also improves the communication skill and promotes interaction, cognitive process and social development. The framework of the study identifies the significance of technology, which enhance the constructive skill of the autistic children. Furthermore, it highlights the approach to emerging assistive device which initiate a better quality of life for the autistic children.

Parlare di ergonomia e società oggi, nel pieno del dibattito sui risvolti sociali ed economici della globalizzazione, a qualcuno potrebbe apparire fuori luogo o addirittura anacronistico ma non è assolutamente così. Appare peraltro più utile farlo ora che nel recente passato per la rapidissima evoluzione dei modelli e sistemi di lavoro (di tipo fisico, cognitivo e organizzativo) e dei riflessi negativi che la cosiddetta Società della Conoscenza sta generando nelle persone. Come, ad esempio: l’ansia di adattamento a situazioni in continua evoluzione e problemi di disorientamento causati dal sovraccarico cognitivo. L’ergonomia del secondo millennio è oggi una moderna disciplina scientifica system-oriented che si occupa di questo e di tanto altro. Studia l’interazione tra le persone e gli elementi tecno-digitali e sociali del sistema in cui interagiscono con l’obiettivo di ottimizzare benessere e performance: ossia di renderlo (il sistema) compatibile con i bisogni, le capacità e i limiti delle persone in tutti gli aspetti delle attività umane... vedi - pagg.36-40

Safe surgical practice requires a combination of technical and nontechnical abilities. Both sets of skills can be impaired by intra-operative stress, compromising performance and patient safety. This systematic review aims to assess the effects of intra-operative stress on surgical performance.A systematic search strategy was implemented to obtain relevant articles. MEDLINE, EMBASE, and PsycINFO databases were searched, and 3,547 abstracts were identified. After application of limits, 660 abstracts were retrieved for subsequent evaluation. Studies were included on the basis of predetermined inclusion criteria and independent assessment by 2 reviewers.In all, 22 articles formed the evidence base for this review. Key stressors included laparoscopic surgery (7 studies), bleeding (4 studies), distractions (4 studies), time pressure (3 studies), procedural complexity (3 studies), and equipment problems (2 studies). The methods for assessing stress and performance varied greatly across studies, rendering cross-study comparisons difficult. With only 7 studies assessing stress and surgical performance concurrently, establishing a direct link was challenging. Despite this shortfall, the direction of the evidence suggested that excessive stress impairs performance. Specifically, laparoscopic procedures trigger greater stress levels and poorer technical performance (3 studies), and expert surgeons experience less stress and less impaired performance compared with juniors (2 studies). Finally, 3 studies suggest that stressful crises impair surgeons' nontechnical skills (eg, communication and decision making).Surgeons are subject to many intra-operative stressors that can impair their performance. Current evidence is characterized by marked heterogeneity of research designs and variable study quality. Further research on stress and performance is required so that surgical training and clinical excellence can flourish.

The creation of meaning in communication is a trading activity, resulting from the construction that is born of the interaction between subjects. That is, the meaning is not inherent to the relationship between words, signs and symbols that arise from negotiating ...

In the last decade, academic studies on games were mainly focusing on gamers, usually from sociological, educational and/or psychological perspectives. Here, in this qualitative study, the main features for a foundational framework of game design and development process will be described, using cognitive ergonomics methods such as semi-structured interviews, critical incidents gathering, and free mind mapping. Two European-leading games development studios were asked to be involved in this exploratory study. One lead game designer, one writer, two tech leads, one external lead artist, and one CEO/internal producer were interviewed about their work, during a 2-hours session. Analysis of these qualitative data helped us better understand how practices and representations can lead to a new vision of video games’ creation, while integrating user-centered design. In brief, results show that the iterative process of game design and development can be formalized from a cognitive ergonomics point of view. Besides, “real” organizational, management, design, and technical incidents are found during creation process. Ultimately, it could help both the product to be improved in quality, as well as the game design and development process to be more considered from a user/player interface design perspective.

Visual errors in the perception of written drug names can reflect orthographic similarity amongst certain names. Drug names are typically printed in lowercase text. ‘Tall Man’ lettering, the capitalisation of the portions that differ amongst orthographically similar drug names, is employed in the field of medication labelling and prescribing to reduce medication errors by highlighting the area most likely to prevent confusion. The influence of textual format on visual drug name perception was tested amongst healthcare professionals (n = 133) using the Reicher-Wheeler task. Relative to lowercase text, Tall Man lettering improved accuracy in drug name perception. However, an equivalent improvement in accuracy was obtained using entirely uppercase text. Thus, character size may be a key determinant of perceptual accuracy for Tall Man lettering. Specific considerations for the manner in which Tall Man lettering might be best formatted and implemented in practice to reduce medication errors are discussed.

The term "ergonomics" is derived from the Greek words Ergon (work) and nomos (law). It was first coined by the Polish scientist Jastrzebowski  in 1857. However, it was only in 1949 that ergonomics developed as a prominent science. Ergonomics is branch of science which seeks to design jobs and equipment to fit the worker, rather than the other way round. Ergonomics draws out information from an array of sciences, including anthropometry. It applies to all aspects of life and to different society age groups, especially the elderly and pregnant women. The research comprises a bird's eye view on ergonomics, including graphs for right ergonomic postures and ergonomically-designed equipment. It also includes a En-Ar glossary and an Ar-En glossary of key ergonomic terms.

Digital device ubiquity increased the need for HCI’s analysis, but academic research is frequently supported in week frameworks. The establishment of a structured body of knowledge is essential for the development of more efficient interfaces and interaction experiences.

В статье рассматриваются образные интерфейсы для поддержки операторов в решении сложных задач управления техническими системами. Более рациональное использование когнитивных ресурсов человека возможно при переносе части ментальных операций на уровень визуального мышления. Систематизируются существующие способы визуализации когнитивных операций целеобразования, переработки информации, диагностирования, планирования и проверки результатов действий. На основе обзора классических работ в области восприятия образов и визуального мышления сформулированы актуальные исследовательские задачи, которые необходимо решить на пути к образным интерфейсам. Приводится пример образного (экологического) интерфейса для операторов атомных электростанций. Этот интерфейс позволил в два-три раза сократить время решения задач операторами и существенно уменьшить число ошибочных действий.

Workers experience combined physical and mental demands in their daily jobs, yet the contribution of these concurrent demands in the development of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) is not clearly understood. There is a need to understand how concurrent demands interact with different work parameters, such as force levels, muscles employed, and types of exertion, to influence physiological responses. Furthermore, whether muscle capacity is altered with these concurrent demands remains unclear. The current research was conducted to address these needs through three experimental studies that evaluated changes in physiological, performance, and subjective measures.

The first study investigated muscle-specific responses to concurrent physical and mental demands during intermittent static work. Mental demands adversely affected physiological responses with increasing physical demand. Furthermore, greater motor and mental performance impairment was observed at either end of the physical demand spectrum. Finally, these interactions were muscle-dependent, with postural (shoulder and torso) muscles indicating a greater propensity to interference due to concurrent demands than executive (wrist) muscles.

The aim of the second study was to evaluate differential effects of exertion type (static and dynamic) during concurrent physical and mental work. Concurrent physical and mental demands adversely affected physiological responses during static exertions compared to dynamic exertions. Furthermore, static exertions were more susceptible to decrements in muscle output and mental task performance than dynamic exertions, specifically at higher force levels.

The last study quantified the effects of concurrent physical and mental demands on muscle capacity (endurance, fatigue, and recovery) during intermittent static work. Additional mental processing was associated with shorter endurance times, greater strength decline, increased fatigability, and slower cardiovascular recovery. Concurrent demand conditions were also associated with higher levels of perceived fatigue, and rapid increases in rates of perceived exertion, time pressure, mental load, and stress.

Overall, the current research provides a comprehensive understanding of the interactive effects of physical and mental demands on physiological responses and task performance. These findings may facilitate the development of task design strategies to help reduce the risk of workplace injuries and to increase worker performance. Finally, outcomes from this research can contribute towards the revision of current ergonomic guidelines to incorporate concurrent assessment of physical and mental demands.

Buku ENBORA: Teknik Penilaian Risiko Ergonomik di Tempat Kerja (Penerbit UTHM) Tahun 2019

Teknik ENBORA adalah alat atau kaedah penilaian risiko ergonomik yang mudah dan praktikal digunakan di tempat kerja serta memberi penanda aras tahap risiko dan tindakan yang perlu diambil berkaitan dengan aktiviti atau tugasan di tempat kerja

Jika berminat untuk tempahan buku, boleh layari laman web http://e-bookstore.uthm.edu.my/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=349 atau hubungi En Mohd Razif di talian 07453 8698 (Penerbit UTHM)

RM48 senaskah (berwarna) tidak termasuk kos penghantaran

Phronetic organizational research is an approach to the study of management and organizations focusing on ethics and power. It is based on a contemporary interpretation of the Aristotelian concept phronesis, usually as ‘prudence’. Phronesis is the ability to think and act in relation to values, to deliberate about ‘things that are good or bad for humans’ in the words of Aristotle (1976:1140a24–b12). Phronetic organizational research effectively provides answers to the following four value-rational questions, for specific problematics in management and organization studies: 1. Where are we going with this specific management problematic? 2. Who gains and who loses, and by which mechanisms of power? 3. Is this development desirable? 4. What, if anything, should we do about it?

В статье выполнен краткий обзор и анализ современных видов человеко-машинного интерфейса, используемого на атомных станциях. Более детально рассмотрены инновационные подходы, такие как экологический и функциональный интерфейс. Предложены два критерия классификации интерфейса: способы представления информации и принцип отбора информации для наполнения одного видеокадра. Дано описание разработанного и протестированного прототипа экологического интерфейса, предназначенного для мониторинга состояния барабана-сепаратора энергоблока с РБМК.

In 1984, Charles Perrow (CP) released a landmark book entitled Normal Accident (NA), in which he defended the argument of the inevitability of accident in certain type of high risk systems. The aim of this paper is, thirty years after the book’s publication, to reconsider this book and offer a new interpretation. Indeed, in hindsight, the message of the book seems today as compelling as ever. Accidents and catastrophes have continued to occur over the last three decades. However, the technological determinism of the book has been criticised and shown to be too restricted to account for the social nature of these phenomena. In opposition to his structuralist view, some authors have argued an extended socio-technological model of the normality of accidents. Indeed, Charles Perrow himself  often complained about the misuse of his own technological rational to interpret accidents. Consequently, he has regularly used instead a wider, macro-social, critical and power view of organisations and society to interpret accidents. This second posture was clearly in the background of the 1984 book, but has often been neglected, unnoticed or overlooked by commentators, proponents and critics.  This paper aims to highlight this second underlying message of the book. This second message could arguably be today, in retrospect, the book’s most valuable and compelling contribution to our understanding of accidents and safety and a basis for contemporary research.

Este trabalho buscou nos conhecimentos da cognição situada e de ambientes adaptativos e/ou adaptáveis base teórica para atingir seu objetivo geral: definir um conceito de concepção de ambiente interativo com uma visão antropocentrada e com ênfase em usuários novatos.
A partir da fundamentação teórica concluiu-se que as técnicas e os métodos da hipermídia adaptativa e/ou adaptável associados aos conhecimentos de cognição situada, mais especificamente da aprendizagem situada e da consciência situada, podem contribuir para a concepção de ambientes interativos principalmente para esse perfil de usuário.
A convergência desses conhecimentos levou à proposta de um conceito de concepção de ambientes interativos, o conceito de modularidade, que visa corroborar no design de interfaces condutivas e intuitivas para os usuários novatos. A proposta de modularidade de ambientes tem o intuito de flexibilizar os ambientes interativos permitindo ao usuário a tomada de decisão durante a interação, uma abordagem antropocentrada. Essa adaptabilidade dos ambientes interativos pode permitir ao usuário a escolha de perfil para interação e, rompe com o paradigma tecnocentrado desses ambientes.
O conceito de modularidade visa à simplificação de interfaces, com a organização e a pertinência de suas ferramentas em relação à tarefa a ser realizada. Esses fatores podem facilitar o desempenho dos usuários novatos, favorecendo na compreensão e na memorização das ferramentas, logo, no aprendizado da interface.
Para a avaliação da proposta do conceito de ambientes modulares foi realizada uma avaliação ergonômica de usabilidade do tipo ensaios de interação. E, como modelo de análise optou-se por uma adaptação de um ambiente, já existente, de ensino a distância - TelEduc.

With devices such as iPad and Kindle, literary reading is increasingly digitized. Although, page by page, a text looks similar on a book page, and displayed on an e-ink Kindle screen, the ergonomic (haptic and tactile) affordances of a screen differ from those of paper. In this paper we present some findings from a between-subjects experiment comparing the reading of a mystery short story in print pocket book and on Kindle. Fifty adult participants read a 28-page mystery story in either a print, or on a Kindle. After reading, subjects completed a series of questionnaires measuring cognitive and emotional aspects. In addition, a questionnaire assessing literary reading preferences and “haptic dissonance” was administered a week after the reading session.
Results show that print readers performed better than Kindle readers when they were asked to sort story events into chronological order. Most subjects also showed an overwhelming preference for print.

Risk assessment, by itself, does nothing to reduce risk or improve safety. It can only change outcomes by informing the design and management of effective risk control interventions. But current practice in healthcare risk management suffers from an almost complete lack of support for risk control. This first installment of a 2-part series on rebalancing risk management describes a new framework to guide risk control practice: The Process for Active Risk Control.

This chapter is about managing sociotechnological risks. It is in the 70s that the notion of ‘high-risk’ (or ‘safety critical’) systems started to be distinguished and grouped into an independent category including industries such as the nuclear, aviation, marine, petrochemical or the railways. Any attempt such as this one to introduce this background in a few pages is necessarily restrictive, partly unfair but also a simplified account. And, there are of course many different strategies to do so. One option is to consider the field through the scientific disciplines involved, say sociology, engineering, psychology, ergonomics, management, etc. A second one, quite related to the first, is to introduce pioneers who, from different disciplinary backgrounds, produced seminal contributions used as shared references among various research communities interested in the safety of complex sociotechnological systems. A third one is to look into industry (aviation, nuclear or petrochemical) in order to illustrate and to differentiate the diversity of problems related to sociotechnological risks and how they materialise. Another option is to identify core concepts that sometimes cut across a range of disciplines, authors and industry which offers also good insights into the issues involved with sociotechnological risks. In any case, it is a very challenging task. The intention in this chapter is to combine a bit of these strategies in order to offer the reader a broad vision, and to follow editors’ guidelines specifying the following structure: first, key concepts, second, major debates and third open questions/perspectives.

We investigated whether losses of inhibitory control could be responsible for some friendly-fire incidents. Several factors are commonly cited to explain friendly-fire incidents, but failure of inhibitory control has not yet been explored. The Sustained Attention to Response Task (SART) could be a valid model for inhibition failures in some combat scenarios. Participants completed small-arms simulations using near infrared emitter guns, confronting research assistants acting as friends or foes. In Experiment 1, seven participants completed three conditions with three different proportions of foes (high, medium, low). In Experiment 2, 13 participants completed high-foe (high-go) and low-foe (low-go) versions of a small-arms simulation as well as comparative computer tasks. Participants made more friendly-fire errors (errors of commission) when foe proportion was high. A speed-accuracy trade-off was apparent, with participants who were faster to fire on foes also more likely to accide...

Although it is probably the best-known Prospective Hazard Analysis (PHA) tool, Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) is far from the only option available. This paper introduces one of the alternatives: The Structured What-If Technique (SWIFT). SWIFT is a flexible, high-level risk identification technique that can be used on a standalone basis, or as part of a staged approach to make more efficient use of bottom-up methods like FMEA.

In this paper we describe the method, assess the evidence related to its use in healthcare using a systematic literature review, and suggest ways in which it could be better adapted for use in the healthcare industry. Based on the limited
evidence available, it appears that healthcare workers find it easy to learn, easy to use, and credible. Especially when used as part of a staged approach, SWIFT appears capable of playing a useful role as component of the PHA
armamentarium.

Ergonomics Risk Factors (ERFs) at computer works are commonly related to Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) such as repetitive movements, doing work in awkward postures and static postures while prolonged seating at works. The main objective of this study was to investigate the ergonomic risk factors associated with MSDs among employees in computer workstation. In this study, the data were obtained by structured interview using self-reported questionnaire and direct observation. The results show that there is significant association between neck and stress score with musculoskeletal symptoms and among office workers. As a conclusion, by assessing ERFs at workplace, the effectiveness of workplace interventions can be evaluated without waiting for changes in the prevalence of MSDs.