1,720,969 research outputs found
Methodological issues in systems Human Factors and Ergonomics: Perspectives on the research–practice gap, reliability and validity, and prediction
No full textThe changing nature of work and society, and a proliferation of complex globalchallenges, is increasing the need for systems Human Factors and Ergonomics (HFE). The discipline is well equipped to respond, but there remain a number of longstanding issues preventing systems HFE from realizing its full impact. There is a research–practice gap, a lack of reliability and validity evidence associated with systems HFE methods, and a shortage of methods that can predict behavior. In this article we revisit each issue, with each co‐author providing their own perspective on the extent and causes of each issue, and their resolution. The perspectives reveal a consensus that the issues exist and are problematic but are challenging, multifactorial, and require various solutions. The findings are subsequently synthesized to form an agenda for the wider discipline
Challenging conventional rural rail level crossing design: Evaluating three new systems thinking-based designs in a driving simulator
No full textThe road-rail interface is hazardous for both road vehicles and trains, with collisions often resulting in serious injury and deaths of drivers and passengers. This is a major problem worldwide, and there is currently no appropriately effective low-cost solution for rural areas. Grade separation is prohibitively costly for most rail level crossings. This research evaluated three proposed new, relatively low-cost design solutions: GPS Average Speed interface, Simple but Strong crossing and Ecological Interface Design crossing. These new designs were compared with the conventional passive and active rural rail level crossings in a driving simulator. The findings suggest that there is a preference for the standard rail level crossings, probably because this is what drivers are used to. Of the new designs, the Ecological Interface Design rail level crossing seemed to perform the best in the simulator study, and could be implemented at a lower cost than conventional active rail level crossings. However, all three designs had apparent strengths and weaknesses. These findings highlight possible design solutions that should be further tested in real-world field trials.</p
The crash at Kerang: investigating systemic and psychological factors leading to unintentional non-compliance at rail level crossings
No full textIn 2007 a loaded semi-trailer truck struck a passenger train on a railway level crossing in Northern Victoria, Australia, killing eleven train passengers. Although the incident was formally investigated, why the truck driver proceeded through the crossing in the presence of a train remains unexplained. This article uses two juxtaposed Human Factors approaches to provide insight into the contributory factors underlying the incident. A systems analysis framework is used to examine the rail level crossing system in which the incident occurred and an individual psychological schema theory account is used to examine the failures which led the truck driver to proceed through the crossing in the presence of a train. The findings suggest that the primary cause of the incident was a looked-but-failed-to-see error driven by a faulty activation of schema error, leading the truck driver to assume initially that the crossing was in fact in a non-activated state with no train present. Moreover, various system-wide factors that shaped the rail level crossing ‘system’ and thus the incident are identified
The Binary-Based Model (BBM) for Improved Human Factors Method Selection
No full textObjective: This paper presents the Binary-Based Model (BBM), a new approach to Human Factors (HF) method selection. The BBM helps practitioners select the most appropriate HF methodology in relation to the complexity within the target system. Background: There are over 200 HF methods available to the practitioner and little guidance to help choose between them. Method: The BBM defines a HF “problem space” comprising three complexity attributes. HF problems can be rated against these attributes and located in the “problem space.” In addition, a similar HF “approach space” in which 66 predictive methods are rated according to their ability to confront those attributes is defined. These spaces are combined into a “utility space” in which problems and methods coexist. In the utility space, the match between HF problems and methods can be formally assessed. Results: The method space is split into octants to establish broad groupings of methods distributed throughout the space. About 77% of the methods reside in Octant 1 which corresponds to problems with low levels of complexity. This demonstrates that most HF methods are suited to problems in low-complexity systems. Conclusion: The location of 77% of the rated methods in Octant 1 indicates that HF practitioners are underserved with methods for analysis of HF problems exhibiting high complexity. Application: The BBM can be used by multidisciplinary teams to select the most appropriate HF methodology for the problem under analysis. All the materials and analysis are placed in the public domain for modification and consensus building by the wider HF community.</p
Applying systems ergonomics methods in sport: A systematic review
No full textIntroduction: As sports systems become increasingly more complex, competitive, and technology-centric, there is a greater need for systems ergonomics methods to consider the performance, health, and safety of athletes in context with the wider settings in which they operate. Therefore, the purpose of this systematic review was to identify and critically evaluate studies which have applied a systems ergonomics research approach in the context of sports performance and injury management. Material and methods: Five databases (PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, and SPORTDiscus) were searched for the dates 01 January 1990 to 01 August 2017, inclusive, for original peer-reviewed journal articles and conference papers. Reported analyses were underpinned by a recognised systems ergonomics method, and study aims were related to the optimisation of sports performance (e.g. communication, playing style, technique, tactics, or equipment), and/or the management of sports injury (i.e. identification, prevention, or treatment). Results: A total of seven articles were identified. Two articles were focussed on understanding and optimising sports performance, whereas five examined sports injury management. The methods used were the Event Analysis of Systemic Teamwork, Cognitive Work Analysis (the Work Domain Analysis Abstraction Hierarchy), Rasmussen's Risk Management Framework, and the Systems Theoretic Accident Model and Processes method. The individual sport application was distance running, whereas the team sports contexts examined were cycling, football, Australian Football League, and rugby union. Conclusions: The included systems ergonomics applications were highly flexible, covering both amateur and elite sports contexts. The studies were rated as valuable, providing descriptions of injury controls and causation, the factors influencing injury management, the allocation of responsibilities for injury prevention, as well as the factors and their interactions underpinning sports performance. Implications and future directions for research are described.</p
STAMP goes EAST: Integrating systems ergonomics methods for the analysis of railway level crossing safety management
No full textVarious systems ergonomics methods are available to support the design and analysis of rail systems. Whilst the utility of these methods is accepted, the increasing complexity of modern day systems is stretching their capabilities. The integration of distinct systems ergonomics methods provides a means of redressing this. This article presents a study in which the underpinning principles of the STAMP control structure method were added to the EAST framework, and subsequently used to examine railway level crossing safety management. Task, social and information networks for a railway level crossing system lifecycle were developed along with an additional control network showing safety controls and their interrelations. Analysis of the networks points to a need to (1) strengthen activities and controls around proactive risk management and performance monitoring, (2) tighten the coupling between organisations responsible for safety management, and (3) to increase the flexibility of design standards. The implications for future railway level crossing safety management and rail safety research and practice are discussed.</p
Walking the talk: Comparing pedestrian 'activity as imagined' with 'activity as done'
Full text linkThe safety of vulnerable road users, including pedestrians, is an important issue worldwide. In line with the shift towards systems thinking in transport safety, the aim of this study was to compare the normal performance of pedestrians as they navigate the road system with that imagined by road system managers to gain insights into how safety management can be improved for this vulnerable road user group. The Event Analysis of Systemic Teamwork framework was used to compare pedestrian activity 'as imagined' and 'as done' at signalised road intersections and railway level crossings. Data regarding 'activity as imagined' was derived from documentation review, and data on 'activity as done' was derived from a semi-naturalistic study of ten participants. It is concluded that in both environments pedestrians exhibited more diversity and variability than anticipated by system managers. Insights for improving the design of the road environment for pedestrians are provided. Further, it is argued that wider changes to the processes used in the design and management of road systems are needed
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
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