Introduction To Human Factors: Industrial Engineering and Management

Industrial Engineering and Management
Introduction to Human Factors
What is Human Factors
Human factors are illustrated by breakdowns in the

interactions between humans and the systems with which
they work.
We may define the goal of human factors as making the

human interaction with systems one that:
Reduces error
Increases productivity
Enhances safety
Enhances comfort
Naturally there are many more times when systems work

well. However it is characteristic of human nature that we
notice when things go wrong more easily than when things
go right.
It is the situation when things go wrong that triggers the

call for diagnosis and solution, and these are the key
contributions of human factors to system design.
Human factors involves the study of factors and

development of tools that facilitate the achievement of the
goals of human factors
Example:
Why did the worker suffer the back injury?
What is the amount of the load or the awkward
position required to lift it?
It is necessary to diagnose or identify the problems and

deficiencies in the existing human-system interaction
To do this effectively ,core knowledge of the nature of the

physical body (its size, shape, and strength) and of the
mind (its information-processing characteristics and
limitations) must be coupled with a good understanding of
the physical or information systems involved, and the
appropriate analysis tools must be applied to clearly
identify the cause of breakdowns
Having identified the problem, five different approaches

may be directed toward implementing a solution:
1. Equipment design
2. Task design
3. Environmental design
4. Training
5. Selection
Equipment design changes the nature of the physical

equipment with which humans must works
Task design focuses more on changing what operators do,

rater than the devices they use.
Sometimes task design may involve assigning part or
all the tasks to other workers or to automated
components
Environmental design implements changes in the physical

environment within which the task is carried out, such as:
improved lighting,
temperature control, and
reduce noise
A broader view of the environment could also include the

organizational climate within which the work is carried out
Training focuses on better preparing the worker for the

conditions that he or she will encounter in the job
environment by teaching and practicing the necessary
physical or mental skill
Selection is a technique that recognizes the individual

differences across humans in almost every physical and
mental dimension that is relevant for good system
performance
Design and Evaluation Methods
The goals of human factors specialists are generally to

make task:
easier,
more effective,
more satisfying to perform, and
safer
This is done by applying human factors principles,

methods, and data to the design of new products or
systems
The concept of design can be broad, including activities such

as the following:
Design or help design products or systems, especially
their interface
Modify the design of existing products to address human

factors problems
Develop training programs and other performance support

materials such as checklists or instruction manuals
Design ergonomically sound environments, such as:

individual workstations,
large environments with complex work modules and
traffic patterns,
home environment for the handicapped,
gravity-free environments, and so forth
Develop methods for training and appraising work groups

and teams
Apply ergonomic principles to organizational development

and restructuring
Perform safety-related activities, such as,

conduct hazard analyses,
implement industrial safety programs,
design warning labels, and
give safety-related instructions
Even when designers attempt to consider human factors,

they often complete the product design first and only then
hand off the blueprint or prototype to a human factors
expert
This expert have to comeback with criticisms of a design

that the design team has spent months and thousands of
dollars to develop
Cost/Benefit Analysis
The cost / benefit analysis is used to show management

that human factors should be included as part of the
design effort even if it does entail an extra expense,
because in the long run, it will save the company
money
In most instances, estimating the costs for human factors

effort is relatively easy because the designer tends to be
familiar with the costs for personnel and materials.
Estimating the benefits tends to be more difficult and must

be based on assumptions
Some types of benefits are more common for one type of

manufacturer or customer then another
The total benefit of the effort is determined by first

estimating values for the relevant variables without human
factors intervention. The same variables are estimated
assuming human factor analysis. The benefit is the cost
savings between the two
The following benefits that might be applicable
Mayhew(1992), and that can be estimated quantitatively:
1. Increased sales
2. Decreased cost of providing training
3. Decreased customer support costs
4. Decreased development costs
5. Decreased maintenance costs
6. Increased user productivity
7. Decreased user errors
8. Improved quality of service
9. Decreased training time
10.Decreased user turnover
Other quantifiable benefits are health or safety related

(Alexander, 1995), such as:
1. Decreased sick leave or time off
2. Decreased number of accidents or acute injuries
3. Decreased number of chronic injuries (such as
cumulative trauma disorders)
4. Decreased medical and rehabilitation expenses
5. Decreased number of citations or fines
6. Decreased number of lawsuits
7. Increased employee satisfaction (lower turnover)

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Industrial Engineering and Management

Introduction to Human Factors

What is Human Factors

 Human factors are illustrated by breakdowns in the

 We may define the goal of human factors as making the

 Naturally there are many more times when systems work

 It is the situation when things go wrong that triggers the

What is Human Factors

 Human factors involves the study of factors and

 It is necessary to diagnose or identify the problems and

 To do this effectively ,core knowledge of the nature of the

What is Human Factors

 Having identified the problem, five different approaches

 Equipment design changes the nature of the physical

 Task design focuses more on changing what operators do,

What is Human Factors

 Environmental design implements changes in the physical

A broader view of the environment could also include the

 Training focuses on better preparing the worker for the

 Selection is a technique that recognizes the individual

Design and Evaluation Methods

 The goals of human factors specialists are generally to

 This is done by applying human factors principles,

The concept of design can be broad, including activities such

 Modify the design of existing products to address human

 Develop training programs and other performance support

Design and Evaluation Methods

 Design ergonomically sound environments, such as:

 Develop methods for training and appraising work groups

 Apply ergonomic principles to organizational development

 Perform safety-related activities, such as,

Design and Evaluation Methods

 Even when designers attempt to consider human factors,

 This expert have to comeback with criticisms of a design

 The cost / benefit analysis is used to show management

 In most instances, estimating the costs for human factors

 Estimating the benefits tends to be more difficult and must

 Some types of benefits are more common for one type of

 The total benefit of the effort is determined by first

 Other quantifiable benefits are health or safety related

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Human factors are illustrated by breakdowns in the

We may define the goal of human factors as making the

Naturally there are many more times when systems work

It is the situation when things go wrong that triggers the

Human factors involves the study of factors and

It is necessary to diagnose or identify the problems and

To do this effectively ,core knowledge of the nature of the

Having identified the problem, five different approaches

Equipment design changes the nature of the physical

Task design focuses more on changing what operators do,

Environmental design implements changes in the physical

Training focuses on better preparing the worker for the

Selection is a technique that recognizes the individual

The goals of human factors specialists are generally to

This is done by applying human factors principles,

Modify the design of existing products to address human

Develop training programs and other performance support

Design ergonomically sound environments, such as:

Develop methods for training and appraising work groups

Apply ergonomic principles to organizational development

Perform safety-related activities, such as,

Even when designers attempt to consider human factors,

This expert have to comeback with criticisms of a design

The cost / benefit analysis is used to show management

In most instances, estimating the costs for human factors

Estimating the benefits tends to be more difficult and must

Some types of benefits are more common for one type of

The total benefit of the effort is determined by first

Other quantifiable benefits are health or safety related