Being Bold: How HFES Can Encourage Responsible, Timely and Participative Ergonomics to Address Societal Issues

Human Factors/Ergonomics (HF/E) is a systems discipline focused on jointly optimizing human well-being and overall system performance. Societal problems, including but not limited to health inequity, racism, poverty, and (lack of) sustainability, are inherently systems problems that involve humans, and so recent work has argued that HF IE can and should contribute to addressing these issues. This panel will bring together leaders of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES) to discuss if and how HFES can encourage and support responsible, timely, and participative ergonomics to address societal issues. The session will be highly interactive as the organizers will moderate discussion to reflect on the progress the science and Society (i.e., HFES) have made in this space, identify areas for improvement, and creatively consider future actions to ensure our science and Society are responding to these issues in an ethical manner.

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Advancing Equitable and Just Practices in Human Factors and Ergonomics

Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting ◽

10.1177/1071181321651074 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 65 (1) ◽

pp. 530-534

Author(s):

Rory Lusebrink ◽

Abigail R. Wooldridge ◽

Mia Spiwak

Keyword(s):

Human Factors ◽

Annual Meeting ◽

Vulnerable Populations ◽

Well Being ◽

Community Members ◽

Group Discussions ◽

Learning Methods ◽

Human Factors And Ergonomics ◽

Social Inequities ◽

Do So

Marginalized people are disproportionately harmed by systemic social inequities; human factors and ergonomics (HF/E) professionals can address these systemic issues by developing and implementing equitable and just practices. To identify practical steps to transform ergonomic practice, we thematically analyzed two group discussions from a session focused on diversity, inclusion, and justice at the 2019 Annual Meeting of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES). We identified 36 recommendations to advance equitable and just practices in HF/E, for both practitioners and academics. HF/E professionals should be particularly mindful about historical harm when engaging with vulnerable populations and take appropriate steps to ensure the safety and well-being of all people. HF/E professionals can do so by building relations with and empowering community members as well as learning methods of engagement from other fields.

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Science and Society an Overview of the Problem

10.1007/978-94-024-2115-6_1 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-14

Author(s):

Frank Miedema

Keyword(s):

World War Ii ◽

Science And Technology ◽

Well Being ◽

Human Condition ◽

Second Phase ◽

Science And Society ◽

The Public ◽

Third Phase ◽

Time Periods ◽

Societal Problems

AbstractScience in the recent past promised to society to contribute to the grand challenges of the United Nations, UNESCO, WHO, the EU agenda and national agendas for change and improvement of our life, the human condition. In this chapter it will be briefly discussed how this social contract between science and society has developed since 1945. In the context of this book I distinguish three time periods, but I do realize slightly different time periods may be preferred, based on the perspective taken. The first phase from 1945 till 1960 is characterized by autonomy, building on the successes of the natural sciences and engineering in World War II. In the second phase, the late sixties till approximately 1980, government and the public lost trust and saw the downside of science and technology. The response from politics and the public was to call for societal and political responsible research inspired by broader socio-political developments in society. The third phase from 1990 till 2010 was one of renewed enthusiasm and hope that science and technology would bring economic growth, which should make nations internationally competitive. There increasingly was also room for societal problems related to environment and sustainability, health and well-being. In this approach of the so-called knowledge economy, with the world-wide embracing of neoliberal politics, strong relations with government and the private sector were established. This was accompanied by short-term accountability, control from government and funders at the level of project output, using accordingly defined metrics and indicators. Because of this, this model became firmly and globally institutionalized.

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Integrating human factors into discrete event simulation: a proactive approach to simultaneously design for system performance and employees’ well being

International Journal of Production Research ◽

10.1080/00207543.2016.1166287 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 54 (10) ◽

pp. 3105-3117 ◽

Cited By ~ 30

Author(s):

Petrit (Pete) Dode ◽

Michael Greig ◽

Saeed Zolfaghari ◽

W. Patrick Neumann

Keyword(s):

Human Factors ◽

Discrete Event Simulation ◽

System Performance ◽

Discrete Event ◽

Well Being ◽

Event Simulation ◽

Proactive Approach

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Media and Public Engagement for Societal Impact: Getting the Word Out about Human Factors and Ergonomics

Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting ◽

10.1177/1071181320641126 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 64 (1) ◽

pp. 555-558

Author(s):

Rod D. Roscoe ◽

Claudia Z. Acemyan ◽

Karen Jacobs ◽

Michelle M. Robertson ◽

Angela Yoo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Human Factors ◽

Public Engagement ◽

Lessons Learned ◽

Social Outcomes ◽

Societal Impact ◽

Societal Issues ◽

Human Factors And Ergonomics ◽

Beneficial Impact ◽

The Media

Societal impact refers to the influence of research on economic, environmental, cultural, and social outcomes that extend beyond the scientific sphere. In 2018, the Human Factors and Ergonomic Society launched the Societal Impact Committee to mindfully identify societal issues in which HF/E could contribute to beneficial impact while also advancing science and practice. This panel will consider the role of media and public engagement in facilitating this broad endeavor. Panelists will discuss their experiences, strategies, and lessons learned pertaining to connecting with the media and public via outreach, journalism, museums, and more.

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The application of human factors and ergonomics (HFE) to community-sport organisations in resource scarce contexts : a case study of grassroots football in Makana, Eastern Cape

10.21504/10962/172412 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

◽

Bennett Ryan

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Human Factors ◽

South African ◽

Technical System ◽

System Modelling ◽

Societal Issues ◽

Community Sport ◽

Human Factors And Ergonomics ◽

Grassroots Level ◽

Human Capacity

Background: Modern Human Factors and Ergonomics (HFE) focuses on the optimisation of complex socio-technical systems and has been challenged to contribute to broader societal issues. An example is within grassroots football organisations in resource-scarce areas such as Makana, South Africa. Through embedded participatory approaches, the research problem was co-constructed: To investigate the socio-technical system of the Makana Local Football Association (LFA). Method: A useful complex system modelling tool is that of Cognitive Work Analysis (CWA), with its 5 phases used to identify constraints and affordances. Three perspectives were adopted for the application of an adapted (to suit participant characteristics) CWA to the Makana LFA: 1) how work is prescribed by the governing body SAFA, 2) how subject matter experts (SME) disclose its current functioning, and 3) how SMEs imagine it could function. Five SMEs attended 12 three-hour workshops to complete the latter two perspectives. Results: The composite work domain analysis between work as prescribed and work as disclosed identified significant mismatches between how policymakers envision the system and how SMEs report its functioning. Key differences in perspectives included the fundamental purpose of the Makana LFA, while only four of 22 functions operate within the Makana LFA. Participants also identified key affordances for the LFA such as reorientation as a community sports organisation. Discussion: Comparison between perspectives indicated four mismatches. 1) SAFA views the LFA as the foundation of the talent identification and development infrastructure of South African football. SMEs view it as a community centred organisation. 2) A lack of human capacity is evident at the community level of Makana football. 3) Funding and assets are absent at this grassroots level. 4) The LFA relies on other stakeholders, but these relationships are not formalised. Policymakers, therefore, have a lack of knowledge of the contextual challenges faced by LFA administrators. It is recommended that SAFA view the LFA as a community sport organisation, focusing on improving human capacity, increasing funding, and formalising stakeholder networks. Furthermore, conceptual models from CWA provide explicit socio-technical system redesign recommendations. Conclusion: Large mismatches between the organising body SAFA and the actual functioning of the LFA significantly hinder the effective management and running of football at a grassroots level in resource-scarce contexts in South Africa. The perspectives approach to CWA was useful in elucidating the constraints and affordances of the Makana LFA socio-technical system and informing redesign opportunities. Systems HFE methodology is therefore well placed to contribute to broader societal issues within resources scarce contexts such as football in Makana. Furthermore, the philosophical underpinnings of systems based HFE were successful in the development of sustainable participatory research within the South African grassroots football context.

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