Human Factors and Ergonomics in Manufacturing & Service Industries最新文献

Resilience engineering (RE) is a proactive approach that enables complex systems to deal with adverse events and improve safety management by enhancing structural and organizational capabilities. A methodological examination of RE-related studies showed that they had only focused on some major indicators so that subindicators have been mostly neglected. This study aims to present a hierarchical analysis to identify the importance degree of indicators and subindicators of RE using analytic hierarchy process (AHP) in a petrochemical plant. To accomplish this, a pairwise comparison matrix of the indicators and subindicators was used to collect the data required for AHP approach. To demonstrate the applicability of the AHP results, this study ranks the units of the petrochemical plant using the technique for the order of preference by similarity to an ideal solution (TOPSIS) approach based on the importance degree of RE indicators. A questionnaire was used to gather data related to RE indicators so we could use the TOPSIS method. The results of the AHP showed that management commitment, buffering capacity, and reporting culture were the most influential RE indicators. In addition, anticipation had the lowest impact on RE. The most important subindicators of the RE indicators were also identified using a hierarchical analysis through AHP. The results of TOPSIS provided a best–worst analysis of the units of the petrochemical plant. The findings of this study could help safety managers formulate better-targeted safety policies by investing in influential indicators and subindicators of RE.

Accurate comprehension of safety signs plays a critical part in warning construction workers of potential work hazards. However, existing studies have rarely investigated construction workers' comprehension of safety signs at construction sites. Moreover, existing evaluation methods are generally based on subjective behavior tests, questionnaires, and interviews. Therefore, this study examined the effects of semantic congruity on the comprehension of safety signs, including two sign types (prohibition vs. warning signs) and two conditions (semantic congruence vs. incongruence), combining event-related potentials and time-frequency analysis measurements. Adopting the S1-S2 paradigm, electroencephalogram data were recorded when participants decided whether S1 and S2 were semantically congruent or not. Results showed that the semantically incongruent safety sign-word pairs elicited larger N400 amplitudes and increased theta (3–8 Hz) power in 300–420 ms. The amplitude of N400 in the semantically incongruent condition of the warning sign-word pairs was more negative than that for the prohibition sign-word pairs, while there were no significant differences between the prohibition and warning sign-word pairs in the semantically congruent condition. A greater late positive potential (LPP) (550–750 ms) was also elicited in the semantically incongruent safety sign-word pairs, which was different from previous studies that observed larger LPP in congruent conditions. These results suggest complicated cognitive mechanisms of safety sign comprehension in construction workers. This study extends safety sign comprehension research by using electrophysiological approaches and provides useful indicators for researchers or safety engineers to measure the semantic congruity of proposed sign designs.

This study aims to investigate the coordination-behavior patterns of control crews in digital nuclear power plants (NPPs) during emergencies from a network perspective. We observed and coded 12 coordination processes (each from one crew) of handling simulated emergencies on a full-scope dynamic simulator in Tianwan NPP of China. By calculating the proportion of coordination breakdowns and referring to the subjective evaluation of instructors, these control crews (all male) were classified into two performance levels (high and low). To compare the coordination-behavior patterns between high- and low-performing crews, we conducted social network analysis based on the number and direction of coordination behaviors. By examining intracrew relations in team coordination, this study indicated that high-performing crews exhibited higher cohesion and more balanced behavioral patterns in team coordination than low-performing ones. By investigating coordination-behavior patterns from the hierarchical structure of relations in the team, this study revealed that high-performing crews exhibited higher degree of team autonomy and self-management among junior operators, as well as reactor operator (RO)-centered pattern, whereas the low-performing crews exhibited senior reactor operator-centered pattern. For researchers, the results advance the understanding of the team coordination mechanism in NPP control rooms during emergencies and enrich team coordination theory in process control industries from the network perspective. In practice, this study suggested that the team coordination training of NPP control crews might be centered around junior operators (especially RO), with focuses on facilitating information sharing and mutual assistance between junior operators and enhancing the awareness of active cooperation of crew members. The results of the study provide nuclear instructors with practical reference to team coordination training and processes optimization.

By the year 2050, 67% of the global population will be living in cities where water demand is projected to outstrip supply. This shortage calls for identifying ways through which urban residents and commercial interests can adapt to water stress. As commercial buildings contribute significantly to water consumption in cities, building facilities managers (BFMs) have a significant role in formulation and implementation of the adaptation approaches. Their perceptions of alternative water sources, including reclaimed water, are, therefore, important. In this study, the perceptions of 40 BFMs on reclaimed water use in buildings were analyzed using Q-methodology. Analysis correlated the responses of different people, factoring out the groups of people who hold similar viewpoints. Results showed that participants could be categorized under four factors. Participants in Factor 1 perceived reclaimed water as being healthy and a worthy investment. Those in Factor 2, however, had negative perceptions and did not trust local governments to appropriately manage the treatment process, thus presenting health concerns. They also found reclaimed water repulsive. Participants in Factor 3 were also less willing to adopt reclaimed water, but felt that its use for non-potable purposes would be acceptable. The final group, those in Factor 4 focused more on the cost efficiency and sustainability of reclaimed water, finding it acceptable on those grounds. However, they thought that decisions on its use should be the building owners' prerogative rather than the BFMs. The implications of these findings with respect to encouraging reclaimed water use in commercial office buildings are discussed.

Digital manufacturing technologies (DMTs) have the potential to transform industry productivity, but their introduction into the workplace is often a complex process, requiring not only technical expertise but also an awareness of ethical and societal challenges surrounding human–system integration. Concerns about the introduction of new technology have been prevalent throughout history, and exploring public perceptions of these technologies can provide insight to help address such cultural anxieties. However, evaluating user perceptions of futuristic technology is difficult, requiring novel approaches to provide context and understanding. To explore users' perceptions of future DMTs, we applied the ContraVision technique in a questionnaire-based study. Participants viewed films, representing fictionalized utopic and dystopic visions of what the future of these DMTs might involve, and a questionnaire probed the perceptions of the technologies afterward. Findings showed that irrespective of the way technology was portrayed, participants had concerns about the ethical and responsible implementation of these tools. Participant responses were analyzed to identify key challenges for policy surrounding DMT implementation in the future of manufacturing.

The proportion of electric maloperation accidents (EMAs) in substations caused by human and organizational factors (HOFs) has gradually increased. Although there has been some research into the factors affecting EMAs in substations, the available results are insufficient to support the interpretation of HOFs in EMAs. This article explores the relationships between the HOFs and EMAs using Human Factors Analysis and Classification System-gradient boosting with categorical features support (HFACS–CatBoost) and Shapley Additive exPlanation (SHAP) methods. First, the HFACS framework was introduced to identify 135 EMAs in the Southern Power Grid risk causation. CatBoost was used to construct an accident classification model to analyze the important relationship between accidents and HOFs and to compare and analyze with the extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) and the binary logistic regression (BLR) to verify the superiority of CatBoost. Finally, to solve the problem of inadequate interpretation of the CatBoost black-box model, the SHAP value plot was applied to express the contribution degree relationship between accidents and HOFs. The results show that the above method can explore and explain the importance and contribution of HOFs in EMAs. And from this, it is concluded that poor psychological state, poor communication and coordination, inadequate supervision, and inadequate training and education are highly correlated with the occurrence of EMAs. The findings will help substation operations and maintenance staff to develop safety measures to address the confusion of HOFs in substations and prevent the occurrence of EMAs.

Human Factors methods play a key role in challenging assumptions, analyzing interactions, and informing decision-making in complex sociotechnical systems and organizations that manage safety risks. Structured methodological approaches also have a role to play in better understanding properties of systems such as adaptation. Adaptation is increasingly recognized as being an important feature that supports the production of safety in complex sociotechnical systems. A safety management intervention, introduced to address a real risk in UK air traffic control but which resulted in unanticipated, maladaptive, and emergent effects, is analyzed using the Hierarchical Task Analysis, Systems Theoretic Accident Model and Processes, Functional Resonance Analysis Method, Human Factors Analysis and Classification System, Cognitive Work Analysis, Critical Decision Method, and Event Analysis of Systemic Teamwork Methods. The results from the application of each of the methods are presented and the different perspectives on adaptation that the methods provide are compared. A methodological framework is presented that has the potential to explore the factors of adaptation across the organizational hierarchy and assist safety practitioners in supporting decision makers in safety-related organizations.

With the rapid development of automobiles, car cockpits are becoming more and more intelligent and advanced, and the intelligent requirements of automobile cockpits are gradually increasing. However, the real value of intelligence can only be realized when it makes passengers in a cockpit feel comfortable. In this study, seven factors that affect passenger comfort in intelligent cockpits are defined. Under these factors, a total of 33 evaluation indicators were developed. The core of the method was to determine the dissatisfaction indicators and degree of dissatisfaction in the intelligent cockpit by analyzing the relationship between people's perceived performance and their expectations. This method was used to evaluate the Tesla Model 3, and it was found in the results that the higher the degree of dissatisfaction with the indicator, the more subjective feedback it had, which in turn proved the effectiveness of the model. According to the degree of dissatisfaction, the indicators affecting comfort were also divided into three levels. This hierarchical division helps clarify which indicators should be prioritized for improvement. Generally, this method has a certain feasibility, which is helpful for the development and redesign of an intelligent car cockpit, and provides some reference strategies for other transportation fields.

The aim of this article is to show how Human Factors and Ergonomics (HFE) methods can be used to improve urban public infrastructure systems in densely populated countries, such as India. In this case, we use Accimap analysis with crowd flow approaches to inform safety and policy. We demonstrate the need for sociotechnical systemic safety by a case study of accident analysis of the Elphinstone Road railway station stampede. On September 29, 2017, the Elphinstone Road, Mumbai, India, railway platform bridge stampede killed at least 23 and injured 39 other commuters who traveled through the Mumbai Suburban railway. In this study, we understand the accident as it is presented in newspaper articles. We analyze the accident by a sociotechnical accident analysis method called the Accimap. The Accimap method helps by identification of various stakeholders and their interactions in the different levels of hierarchy in a sociotechnical system. This ensures moving away from individualistic and blame-based accounts of media reporting to a coherent sociotechnical account based on understanding the dynamics of the situation. The findings from the Accimap analysis identify the problem areas in the commuter transit system and provide recommendations. These recommendations range from commuter flow management to enforcement of rules for supporting pedestrian flow. The article concludes with an emphasis on the development of the sociotechnical dimension of public safety and infrastructure from a human factors perspective, above and beyond what is currently practiced in India.

This article reviews the experiences of 63 case studies of small businesses (<250 employees) with manufacturing automation equipment acquired through a health/safety intervention grant program. The review scope included equipment technologies classified as industrial robots (n = 17), computer numerical control (CNC) machining (n = 29), or other programmable automation systems (n = 17). Descriptions of workers' compensation (WC) claim injuries and identified risk factors that motivated the acquisition of the equipment were extracted from grant applications. Other aspects of the employer experiences, including qualitative and quantitative assessment of effects on risk factors for musculoskeletal disorders (MSD), effects on productivity, and employee acceptance of the intervention were summarized from the case study reports. Case studies associated with a combination of large reduction in risk factors, lower cost per affected employee, and reported increases in productivity were CNC stone cutting system, CNC/vertical machining system, automated system for bottling, CNC/routing system for plastics products manufacturing, and a CNC/Cutting system for vinyl/carpet. Six case studies of industrial robots reported quantitative reductions in MSD risk factors in these diverse manufacturing industries: snack foods; photographic film, paper, plate, and chemical; machine shops; leather goods and allied products; plastic products; and iron and steel forging. This review of health/safety intervention case studies indicates that advanced (programmable) manufacturing automation, including industrial robots, reduced workplace musculoskeletal risk factors, and improved process productivity in most cases.