External Forces on the Work System: A Framework for Human Factors Implications

2000 ◽  
Vol 44 (12) ◽  
pp. 2-758-2-761
Author(s):  
Colin G. Drury

Human factors/ergonomics only occasionally addresses its own future, but business and political forces are changing so rapidly that we must do so now. Globalization of business, made possible by information technology and political desire, is affecting many aspects of our profession, from increased work pace to re-location of jobs. These changes in turn impact human factors issues as diverse as errors in human computer interaction and the incidence of musculo-skeletal disorders. This paper presents a framework for considering the impact of these changes on the practice of human factors/ergonomics so that we may plan for the future rather than be overwhelmed by it.

Author(s):  
Ron Craig

Two important forces are at work today in the Canadian and global economies. First is the traditional force of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Statistics Canada reports SMEs account for more than 60% of Canada’s private sector employment and 40% of gross domestic product. Second, Information Technology (IT) and the Internet continue to change the way businesses and individuals work, shop, and/or relax. In particular, the Internet and Electronic Commerce (EC) are heralded as a great opportunity for business, consumers, and governments. The impact on SMEs is somewhat uncertain and still emerging. Some argue the Internet levels the playing field, giving smaller firms greater opportunity to compete against larger firms. Others argue that, since SMEs generally have fewer resources available for IT or other initiatives, they could be left behind. In addition, because of their size, SMEs have minimal control or influence over such external forces.


2016 ◽  
Vol 124 (4) ◽  
pp. 795-803 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yushi Yang ◽  
Antonia Joy Rivera ◽  
Christopher R. Fortier ◽  
James H. Abernathy

Abstract Background Prefilled syringes (PFS) have been recommended by the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation. However, aspects in PFS systems compared with self-filled syringes (SFS) systems have never been explored. The aim of this study is to compare system vulnerabilities (SVs) in the two systems and understand the impact of PFS on medication safety and efficiency in the context of anesthesiology medication delivery in operating rooms. Methods This study is primarily qualitative research, with a quantitative portion. A work system analysis was conducted to analyze the complicated anesthesia work system using human factors principles and identify SVs. Anesthesia providers were shadowed: (1) during general surgery cases (n = 8) exclusively using SFS and (2) during general surgery cases (n = 9) using all commercially available PFS. A proactive risk assessment focus group was followed to understand the risk of each identified SV. Results PFS are superior to SFS in terms of the simplified work processes and the reduced number and associated risk of SVs. Eight SVs were found in the PFS system versus 21 in the SFS system. An SV example with high risk in the SFS system was a medication might need to be “drawn-up during surgery while completing other requests simultaneously.” This SV added cognitive complexity during anesthesiology medication delivery. However, it did not exist in the PFS system. Conclusions The inclusion of PFS into anesthesiology medication delivery has the potential to improve system safety and work efficiency. However, there were still opportunities for further improvement by addressing the remaining SVs and newly introduced complexity.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 73
Author(s):  
Ruslan Arief ◽  
Helda Risman ◽  
Rudy Sutanto

<p class="Els-history-head">The development of information technology has a significant impact on various important aspects of life. Apart from positive impacts, there are also negative impacts that are important to know and anticipate to prevent major damage and losses. On a broad scale, namely at the national level, the development of information technology can also affect the development of national defense as it is known that the nature of Indonesia's defense is total defense, which is prepared to face the total war. Based on the explanation above, the purpose of this <em>study</em> is to examine the impact of the development of information technology on the implementation of Indonesia's total war strategy. The approach used is qualitative phenomenology with research data in the form of secondary data collected using literature studies. The data is then analyzed using qualitative analysis techniques. The results of the study indicate that the development of information technology has both positive and negative impacts. These impacts encourage the need for changes and adjustments to the total war strategy implemented by Indonesia. This is important to do so that Indonesia can have a stronger defense in preparation for a total war that may occur in the future.</p>


2015 ◽  
Vol 24 (01) ◽  
pp. 75-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
MS. Ong ◽  
S. Pelayo ◽  

Summary Objective: To summarize significant contributions to the research on human factors and organizational issues in medical informatics. Methods: An extensive search using PubMed/Medline and Web of Science® was conducted to identify the scientific contributions, published in 2014, to human factors and organizational issues in medical informatics, with a focus on health information technology (HIT) usability. The selection process comprised three steps: (i) 15 candidate best papers were selected by the two section editors, (ii) external reviewers from a pool of international experts reviewed each candidate best paper, and (iii) the final selection of three best papers was made by the editorial board of the IMIA Yearbook. Results: Noteworthy papers published in 2014 describe an efficient, easy to implement, and useful process for detecting and mitigating human factors and ergonomics (HFE) issues of HIT. They contribute to promote the HFE approach with interventions based on rigorous and well-conducted methods when designing and implementing HIT.Conclusion: The application of HFE in the design and implementation of HIT remains limited, and the impact of incorporating HFE principles on patient safety is understudied. Future works should be conducted to advance this field of research, so that the safety and quality of patient care are not compromised by the increasing adoption of HIT.


Author(s):  
Anthony R. Gross ◽  
Madeleine M. Gross

Human space expeditions have, from the beginning, involved great risk and complexity. Space flights, accordingly, have utilized substantial quantities of highly skilled labor. The rapid creation and evolution of increasingly powerful information technologies promise a new human-automation systems balance of work. This balance holds the potential of greatly increased crewed and robotic space exploration capability, along with dramatically reduced costs. Since further development of sophisticated information technology systems must, from the outset, consider both the human and the machine as “components” of an integrated system, research supporting the development and optimal utilization of such systems will necessarily incorporate significant human factors components. This paper examines the impact of information technologies on lunar and planetary missions; exemplar inherent human factors aspects, such as display and control in virtual environment/teleoperated systems, are considered.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li Yang ◽  
Getnet Engeda Birhane ◽  
Junqi Zhu ◽  
Jichao Geng

Background: Though the introduction of modern safer underground coal mining methods and automation, mine accidents still cause loss of lives, time, and money. This paper aims to analyze in detail the causes of safety and environmental issues in the coal mining industry, as well as the impact of IoT on coal mining.Method: A systematic review was conducted. A comprehensive search involving Web of Science, Google Scholar, Scopus, and Science direct databases was conducted using a combination of the following keywords: mining accidents, coal mining injuries, human error in mining, intelligent mining, etc. The inclusion criteria: (1) the study was published between January 2000 and June 2020; (2) the participants were coal mining employees/coal mining accidents and accidents were work-related; (3) the study focused on identifying causes of coal mining safety issues or accidents, factors that influence unsafe behaviors and accidents in coal mining, coal mining rescue management, coal mining rescue plan, coal mining environmental impact, mining information technology, intelligent mining; (4) the study was published in a refereed journal; (5) the study was written in English. In this paper, articles were retained if they were original studies.Results: A total of 59 papers were reviewed in detail. Safety issues in coal mining and the impact of IoT were identified and categorized into three main factors: general safety issues, environmental factors, and mining information technology. Recently, the coal mines had become mechanized and automated leading to improved safety, productivity, and cost. However, Human factors such as lack of appropriate skill, lack of experience, perceptual error, and unsafe behaviors, as well as lack of detailed emergency rescue plan were the leading causes of coal mining injuries. Furthermore, abandoned mining sites' carbon emission is greater than active sites.Conclusion: The study recommends further research to be conducted using different psychological models to understand human factors and design effective safety management systems. And the environmental impact of abandoned mining sites should be given due attention.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (17) ◽  
pp. 4771
Author(s):  
Francisco Sanhueza-Durán ◽  
José M. Gómez-Soberón ◽  
Claudia Valderrama-Ulloa ◽  
Felipe Ossio

Faced with implementing policies that seek to improve the energy efficiency of housing and reduce the impact of CO2 emissions, several countries are introducing (unilaterally or by international agreement) energy certification systems that allow the effects of these policies to be evaluated. This study aims to compare the energy efficiency certification systems in Spain and Chile, identifying convergent and divergent parameters, enabling the existing gaps to be identified and improvements noted for both systems. To do so, 20 sample dwellings in Santiago de Chile were evaluated, along with the local calculating tools in both countries. The analysis considered the aspects of regulation, its reach, the characterization of the models and the necessary indicators. The comparison identified, among others, differences such as obligatory implementation of the system, a study of the existing buildings in the focus area, the prevailing indicators for evaluating the effects of the buildings, the low incidence of mixed energy systems in the Chilean system and the possibility of proposing and evaluating improvements in the Spanish system. As a result, higher energy requirements and greater CO2 emissions were identified in the Chilean system, reaching differences of 42 kWh/m2/year in consumption and 14 kgCO2/ m2/year in emissions with regard to the Spanish qualification. The results of this comparison have facilitated the identification of improvements that will increase the evaluation standards of the Chilean system.


Author(s):  
Ron Craig

Two important forces are at work today in the Canadian and global economies. First is the traditional force of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Statistics Canada reports SMEs account for more than 60% of Canada’s private sector employment and 40% of gross domestic product. Second, Information Technology (IT) and the Internet continue to change the way businesses and individuals work, shop, and relax. In particular, the Internet and Electronic Commerce (EC) are heralded as a great opportunity for business, consumers, and governments. The impact on SMEs is somewhat uncertain and still emerging. Some argue the Internet levels the playing field, giving smaller firms greater opportunity to compete against larger firms. Others argue that, because SMEs generally have fewer resources available for IT or other initiatives, they could be left behind. In addition, because of their size, SMEs have minimal control or influence over such external forces.


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