IE – 309: “Human Factors and Ergonomics”

Introduction

Dr. Atef Ghaleb

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 Lesson Overview
• Human Factors
o Overview

o Definitions

o Characteristics

o History

o Profession

• Human-Machine Systems
o Characteristics

o Types

• System Reliability
o Components in Series

o Components in Parallel
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 Human Factors: Overview

 Successful design entails what man:

 Needs
 Wants (desires)
 Can use

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 Human Factors: Overview

 Focus of Human Factors:

 On human beings and their interaction
with products, equipment, facilities,
procedures, and environments used in
work and every-day living.
 Human factors, then, seeks to change
the things people use and the
environments in which they use these
things to better match the capabilities,
limitations, and needs of people.

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 Human Factors: Overview
 Human factors investigated by designers:
 Anthropometry (human physical size, limitations)
 Physiology: human body,
 Reactions (hearing, seeing, touching, etc.)
 Limitations
 Capabilities
 Ergonomics
 dynamic interaction of operator and machine
 Psychology: influence of mental conditions
 Others: social, climate, religion, etc.

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Cont. Human Factors: Overview

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 Cont. Human Factors: Overview
• Objectives of Human Factors (HF):
o Increase work efficiency
• Increase effectiveness of work
• Increase convenience and ease of use of machines
• Increase productivity
• Decrease errors
o Study influence of design on people
o Change designs to suit human needs, limitations
o Increase human values:
• Increase safety
• Increase comfort
• Increase job satisfaction
• Decrease fatigue and stress
• Increase quality of life

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Cont. Goal Human Factors: Overview

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 Human factors, definitions

• Definition 1:
o Systematic application of information about
human:
• Capabilities, limitations, behavior, and
characteristics
to the design of:
• objects and procedures that people use,
• and the environment in which they use
them.

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 Human factors, definitions

• Definition 2:
o HF discovers and applies information about
human:
• Behavior, abilities, limitations, other
characteristics to the design of:
• tools, machines, systems, jobs, tasks,
environments for:
• productive, safe, comfortable, effective
human use

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 Human Factors: Characteristics
• HF involves study of:
o Human response to environment
o Response as a basis for design, improvements

• Characteristics of HF:
o Machines must be built to serve humans (not opp.)
o Design must take human differences into account
o Designs influence humans behavior and well-being
o Design process must include data and calculations
o Human data must be tested scientifically
o Humans and machines are related
o NOT just check lists and guidelines
o NOT using oneself as model for design
o NOT just common sense
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 Human Factors: History (US)
 Early 1900’s: Frank and Lilian Gilbreth:
 Design of workstations for disabled (e.g.
surgery)
 After WWII (1945): HF profession was born
 1949: HF books, publications, conferences,
e.g.:
 HF in Engineering Design, 1949
 HF Society (largest HF professional group),
1957
 1960-80: emphasis moved from military to
industry:
 Pharmaceuticals, computers, cars, etc.
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 Human Factors: History (US)
 1980-90: HF in PC revolution
 “ergonomically-designed” equipment,
software
 HF in the office
 Disasters caused due to HF considerations
e.g. Chernobyl, Soviet Union, 1986
 HF in forensics (injury litigations, defective
designs)
 >1990’s:
 Medical devices, devices for elderly
 OSHA ergonomic regulations

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 Human Factors: Profession
• HF Society members:
o Psychology: 45.1%
o Engineering: 19.1%

• People performing HF work (in general)

o Business (private): 74%
o Government: 15%
o Academia: 10%

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Safety Concerns at Work

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Safety Concerns at Work

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 Safety Concerns at Work

Awkward or Static
Postures

Sustained Exertions Repetitive Motions

(Frequency Heavy Lifting
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Bad Designs

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Bad Designs

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Bad Designs

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Ergonomic solution

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Why do we care

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HF in design of system

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 Ergonomics Application Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0xLL8VWQAg

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 Human-Machine Systems

• System (Defn):
o “Entity that exists to carry out some
purpose”
o Components: humans, machines, other
entities
o Components must integrate to achieve
purpose (i.e. not possible by independent
components)

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 Human-Machine Systems
• The concept of a system implies that:
➢ we recognize a purpose;
➢we carefully analyze the purpose;
➢we understand what is required to achieve
the purpose;
➢we design the system's parts to accomplish
the requirements;
➢we fashion a well-coordinated system that
effectively meets our purpose.

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 Human-Machine Systems
• Machine (Defn):
o Physical object, device, equipment,
facility or things that people used to
perform an activity
• Human-Machine system (Defn):
o One or more Human and one or more
physical component
o Interaction using given input
o Result: desired output
o e.g. man + nail + hammer to hang picture
on wall
o See Figure 1-1, next slide
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Human-Machine Systems

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 Cont. Human-Machine Systems
• Types of HM systems:
o Manual systems:
• operator + hand tools + physical energy
o Mechanical systems (AKA semiautomatic systems):
• operator (control) + integrated physical parts
e.g. powered machine tools
o Automated systems:
• little or no human intervention (e.g. Robot)
• Human: installs programs, reprograms, maintains, etc.
Consider broomstick vs vacuum vs RoombaTM

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 HM System Characteristics
• Systems are purposive
o Systems have ≥ 1 objective
• Systems can be hierarchical
o Systems may have subsystem levels (1, 2,
etc.)
• Systems operate in environment (The
environment of a system is everything
outside its boundaries)
o Immediate (e.g. workstation, chair)
o Intermediate (e.g. a factory, a school, or
a football stadium)
o General (e.g. a neighborhood, a
community, a city)
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 HM System Characteristics
• Components serve functions
o Sensing (i.e. receiving information from inside or outside; e.g.
speedometer)
o Information storage (i.e. memory; e.g. disk, CD, flash)
o Information processing and make decision
o Action functions (output)
• Physical control (i.e. movement, handling)
• Communication action (e.g. signal, voice)

Information Storage
Action
Sensing Information Function
Info (information processing (physical control Info
input receiving) and decision or output
communication)

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 Cont. HM System Characteristics
• Components interact
o components work together to achieve a goal
o components are at lowest level of analysis

• Systems, subsystems, components have I/O

o I: input(s)
o O: output(s)
o O’s of 1 system: can be I’s to another system
o I’s:
• Physical (materials)
• Mechanical forces
• Information

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 Types of HM Systems

• Closed-loop systems
o Require continuous control
o Require continuous feedback (e.g. errors, updates, etc.)
o e.g. car operation

• Open-loop systems
o Need no further control (e.g. car cruise-control)
o Feedback causes improved system operation

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 System Reliability
• Defn: “probability of successful operation”
• Measure #1:
o success ratio
o e.g. ATM gives correct cash:
9999 times out of 10,000 ⇒ Rel. = 0.9999
o Usually expressed to 4 decimal places.

• Measure # 2:
o mean time to failure (MTF)
o i.e. # of times system/human performs successfully
(before failure)
o Used in continuous activity

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System Reliability

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 System Rel.: Components in Series
• Successful operation of system ⇒
Successful operation of ALL components
(i.e. machines, humans, etc.)
• Conditions:
o Failure of 1 component ⇒ failure of complete system!
o Failures occur independently of each other
• Rel. of system = Product of Rel. of all components
• e.g. System has 100 components
o components all connected in series
o Rel. of each component = 99%
o ⇒ Rel. of system = 0.365 (why?)
o i.e. system will only work successfully:
365 out of 1,000 times! 37
 System Rel.: Components in Series

The resultant reliability of two components is R = R1 × R2. For example, if F1 =

0.1 and F2 = 0.2, then R1 = 0.9 and R2 = 0.8 and R = 0.9 × 0.8 = 0.72. This is less
than the reliability of the weaker component no. 2. The probability of failure
has increased to 1 – 0.72 = 0.28, i.e. more than the failure probability F2.

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System Rel.: Components in Series

Example 2
The reliability of a series system with three elements
with R1 = 0.9, R2 = 0.8, and R3 = 0.5 is R = 0.9 × 0.8 × 0.5
= 0.36, which is less than the reliability of the worst
component (R3 = 0.5).

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 System Rel.: Components in Series

Example 3
The influence of the number of elements (and thus complexity of the
system) can be illustrated on several systems where all components have
the same probability of failure F1 = 0.02; the corresponding
reliability R1 = 0.98. What will be the reliability of a system composed of
(a) 2 components, (b) 10 components, (c) 50 components, and (d) 200
components?
Solution: (a) R = R1 × R1 = 0.982 = 0.960; (b) R = R110 = 0.9810 = 0.817;
(c) R = R150 = 0.9850 = 0.364; and (d) R= R1200 = 0,98200 = 0.0176.

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 System Rel.: Components in Series

o Conclusions:

• more components ⇒ less Rel.

• Max. system Rel. = Rel. of least reliable

component

• least Rel. component is usually human

component (weakest link)

• In reality, system Rel. ≪ least Rel. component

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 System Rel: Components in Parallel
• ≥ 2 components perform same functions
o AKA: backup redundancy (in case of failure)

• System failure ⇒ failure of ALL components

• e.g. System has 4 components

o components connected in //
o Rel. of each = 0.7
o ⇒ System Rel. =
1 – (1-Relc1)(1-Relc2)(1-Relc3)(1-Relc4) = 0.992
o Conclusions
• more components in // ⇒ higher Rel.

o Note, Rel. ↓ with time (e.g. 10-year old car vs. new)
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 System Reliability
•Examine the complex series/parallel system configuration below.

•Given the reliability at each component is as follows:

RelA = 0.9
RelB = 0.8
RelC = 0.7
RelD = 0.8
RelE = 0.9
RelF = 0.5
RelG = 0.6
RelH = 0.45
You are required to:
•Calculate Relsys
•Suggest one way in which the Relsys can be significantly increased
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HF: Technical area

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 References

o Human Factors in Engineering and Design. Mark

S. Sanders, Ernest J. McCormick. 7th Ed. McGraw:
New York, 1993. ISBN: 0-07-112826-3.

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