|
Human Factors Integration (HFI) identifies,
tracks and resolves human related issues, such as:
- Manpower
and Personnel Requirements
-
Training
-
Design
- Risks,
Human Error and Hazard Assessment.
The HFI process ensures that these issues and
their impact upon safety, whole-life costs and operational
performance are considered and it forms a key part of cost-
justification and trade-off studies.
|
See Also:
|
|
|
|
Human Factors Integration is a capability-driven
process that helps synchronise the users’ and
stakeholders’ needs, wants and desires with the development
team activities.
Our approach to Human Factors is that the users
of a system, be they operators or maintainers, are an integral part
of the total system, and their needs and requirements must be
considered at all levels for the system to perform effectively.
This approach means that the Human Factors related requirements are
based on a detailed understanding of the operational tasks that the
user undertakes.
For some projects, a formal Human Factors
Integration Plan (HFIP) is produced. This provides a systematic
approach to ensure that:
- The human
role in the system is defined to optimise human
performance
- Adequate
human-equipment analyses and trade-off studies are
performed
-
Biomedical analysis and design support includes the environmental
protection necessary to promote health and safety, and the
capability for safe operation and maintenance of the
equipment.
- Training
characteristics (materials, environment, evaluation criteria, etc.)
for system personnel are identified.
- System
testing and evaluation is conducted to verify that users can safely
and effectively operate, maintain and support the equipment in its
intended environment.
- The
design meets agreed operational performance standards and where
this is not the case, recommendations to modify the design or
associated training are provided to ensure that the resultant
manned system meets the required standards.
The HFIP formalises the procedures that
constitute best practice. Its purpose is to improve system
performance, reduce manpower and training needs, reduce life-cycle
costs, and provide information essential for programme
control.
|
|
|
|
Risks to the overall success of a programme, of
not addressing HFI, fall into four broad categories:
|
Failure to meet the full operational
requirement
|
E.g. Operator workload in the projected scenarios
limits the system response time to threats
|
|
Failure to produce a supportable system within
the costs and resources available
|
E.g. The skill and knowledge required to operate
the new equipment exceeds that planned in the current manpower and
training policies
|
|
Failure to meet health and safety
requirements
|
E.g. Excessive heat in operational compartments
in particular climates
|
|
Failure to complete the programme within cost
and time
|
E.g. The human-machine interface design is found
to be unusable or unacceptable during trials and acceptance and
requires significant redesign
|
|
|
|
|
|
About Us...
