Human Factors Advanced Training

Target audience

The course is designed for delegates in most industrial sectors, including defence and manufacturing, such as:

• Engineers and designers who make decisions affecting the operability of a new or modified item of equipment or system.
• Project managers, support managers and operations managers requiring an understanding of HF for effective decision-making at all points in the project lifecycle.
• Production managers wishing to enhance productivity and reduce staffing costs without prejudicing safety.
• Leaders (or HF contacts) of Integrated Project Teams in the MoD, who need a fuller understanding of the requirements and benefits of the subject.

Course Programme

Morning

• Module 1: What is Human Factors?

  This brief introductory module serves to summarise the content of the introductory course for those who have not attended it. HF is defined and its history described. The module provides delegates with an overview of the Human Factors approach. The core areas are listed and the typical benefits of HF are explained.

  The module ends with a series of high-profile catastrophes selected from a range of industrial sectors, in order to stimulate thought and discussion on the role of HF in preventing major accidents. There are six case studies: Piper Alpha oil rig fire, Zeebrugge ferry sinking, Texas City refinery explosion, Ladbroke Grove train disaster, Kegworth air crash and Three Mile Island nuclear melt down. In each case, the sequence of events is described and the HF failings are identified with the participation of the delegates.

• Module 2: Workspace design

  This module deals with the detail of achieving high operability levels.

  • First, the effect of the environment on human performance is described – with an explanation of the fundamental technical and regulatory issues pertinent to creating a work environment that is optimal for safety, comfort and efficiency.

  • Thermal comfort, lighting, vibration, radiation and hazardous chemicals are discussed. In each case, the presentation includes: the units of measurement, the relevant legislation, the effects on performance and the methods of mitigating any adverse effects.

  • The workstations contained within the workspace must also be designed for operability. A suitable workstation design must take account of the users’ anthropometry, biomechanics and vision.

  • The various sources of anthropometric data are described, as are the principles of biomechanics and the operation of the eye.

  The main assessment methodologies for posture are appraised.

  The optimal positioning of controls and displays is described.

• Module 3: Industrial Psychology

  This advanced module begins with basic discussion of the psychological concepts relevant to an industrial or military setting.

  It moves on to describe the ‘psychological contract’ made between staff and employer (or between soldier and officer), illustrating how this underpins teamwork and trust.

  The concept and utility of ‘knowledge lifecycle management’ are discussed. An understanding of cognition is increasingly important as the focus of attention in our society moves steadily from physical to mental work.

  The module discusses the working of the human memory (short and long term) and the concepts underlying mental workload measurement (SWAT scales) and prediction (VACP analysis).

  Finally the Wickens model of Multiple Resource Theory is introduced.

  The genesis of the theory and its successes and failures are discussed.

• Module 4: Human-computer interaction

  Effective human-computer interaction (HCI) is critical in high-reliability industries. This module presents effective HCI designs and how to achieve them. It begins by explaining the importance of mental models and the need to design the interface around the mental model of the user.

  Principles of good design practice are presented, under the general themes of layout, labelling, consistency, selection of control and display types, text size and feedback.

  The module then outlines some of the common mistakes made by designers of computer interfaces.

  Standards and regulations relevant to interface design are referenced and summarised, in particular the Regulations governing the design of Display Screen Equipment workstations. Future HCI technologies are discussed, including automatic speech recognition and haptic interfaces.

Afternoon

• Module 5: Physical work

  Over a third of all over-three-day lost-time injuries occur during manual handling operations in the UK.

  The Manual Handling Operations Regulations are introduced, and the responsibilities they place on employers and employees to reduce the risk of injury are discussed. The basic anatomy of the spine is demonstrated and the possible injuries arising from lifting operations are described.

  • Techniques for assessing musculoskeletal risk from lifting, pushing and pulling are introduced, including the HSE filter, the NIOSH equation, the HSE’s Manual Handling Assessment Charts and various software tools.

  • Methods of preventing risk focus in turn on the task design, the individual and the load being lifted.

  • Good lifting techniques are presented and practised, and a selection of lifting aids is presented.

  • The cardiovascular system is presented in the context of the physical workload that can be sustained by the heart, blood and lungs.

  The module concludes with a discussion of other types of injuries that can be sustained at work, including Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and de Quervain’s Tenosynovitis.

• Module 6: Task analysis

  Task analysis is central to the Human Factors approach.

  In order to improve the design of task, equipment of process, the analyst must have a clear understanding of what the operator is doing, what he is using, where he is located and how long he is taking.

  This module presents the main methods of task analysis available to the analyst, detailing the advantages and disadvantages of each.

  The principal methodology, Hierarchical Task Analysis (HTA), is discussed in detail.

  Delegates have an opportunity to apply HTA to a simple task.

  Link analysis, timeline analysis, verbal protocols, activity sampling and sequential sampling are presented and evaluated.

  The concept of the ‘repertory grid’ is introduced and its value is discussed.

  The various computer tools for task analysis are compared.

  Discussion and and a Q&A session to finish.