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News Release from: Scottish Ergonomics Forum
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial
Team on 16 December 2004
Ergonomics explained in Edinburgh
Anyone interested in ergonomics/human factors in Scotland is welcome to attend the SEF's first event of 2005 to be held in Edinburgh on the evening of 13th January.
The Scottish Ergonomics Forum (SEF) is the regional group of the Ergonomics Society for Scotland The group organises events such as training, seminars, conferences, lectures and workshops around Scotland dealing with the subject of human factors
This article was originally published on Engineeringtalk on 28 Sep 2004 at 8.00am (UK)
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Human factors (or ergonomics) is the application of scientific knowledge about human capabilities and limitations to the design of objects, systems and environments to maximise performance, reduce error and improve safety.
Human factors (HF) science is composed of aspects of anatomy, physiology and psychology and underlying all HF work is careful analysis of human activity and interaction between people, things and environments.
Human factors has great relevance to engineering programmes and organisations of all types where interaction between people and machines takes place.
The origins of human factors as a formal discipline dates back to the Second World War when designers of military equipment fielded newly designed equipment without adequate consideration given during the design process to the needs and abilities of the fighting men who would use them, with dire consequences.
Human factors failings have been central to some of the highest profile accidents in modern memory including Chernobyl, Pyper Alpha, Challenger space shuttle, and the Paddington rail crash.
There are now a great number of standards and guidelines available to help designers and engineers apply human factors to their programmes.
Anyone interested in ergonomics/human factors in Scotland is welcome to attend the SEF's first event of 2005 to be held in Edinburgh on the evening of 13th January.
Contact SEF in advance for more details and to register your interest.
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