Category: Human Factors

These are the deadliest times for traffic collisions

This is a rather sobering infographic on road fatalities in Australia. This is a complex problem so using simple, reductionist solutions won’t work. Instead we need to use a systems thinking approach. This quote sums it up pretty well:

“We know in road safety that focusing on individual behaviour is not helpful … You actually have to change the system so that when people make mistakes they’re not penalised by dying.”

These are the deadliest times for traffic collisions

New figures reveal the most dangerous times to be on the road for young drivers, cyclists, pedestrians and other road users.

Source: www.abc.net.au/news/2018-01-25/every-road-death-in-australia-since-1989/9353794?pfmredir=sm

Rethinking the causes of road trauma: society’s problems must share the blame

Wider societal issues are driving road user behaviour, which cannot be fixed by taking a traditional road safety approach.

Source: theconversation.com/rethinking-the-causes-of-road-trauma-societys-problems-must-share-the-blame-82383

Hawaii False Alarm

The recent ballistic missile false alarm in Hawaii made headlines around the world. It was pretty quickly revealed that it occurred as the result of an employee selecting the wrong option from a menu of different options. There were two very similarly worded options, one for a “test” alert, and one for an actual alert. He selected, and then confirmed, the wrong one. Anyone who has used a computer for even a short period of time is aware of this potential error. It is rather disconcerting that a safety critical system such as this one doesn’t appear to have utilised any Human Factors/Ergonomics input or Usability Testing.

Continue reading “Hawaii False Alarm”

Human Factors, Systems Thinking and Teenage Drivers

One of my areas of interest is Human Factors/Ergonomics, and in particular it’s application to healthcare. However, by its very nature, it is applicable wherever you find humans. This is a recent article from ABC News discussing it in the context of teenage drivers.

Let’s stop blaming young drivers for their deadly road crashes

As our holiday road death toll climbs, perhaps it’s time to stop attributing fatal accidents to inexperience, immaturity or even stupidity, and view the crashes as a failure in a system that should be protecting young drivers.

Source: www.abc.net.au/news/2018-01-01/road-toll-young-people-driver-behaviour-texting-drugs/9291678

15 Minutes of Fame

I’ve previously made it into the news a handful of times as a result of my melanoma and immunotherapy treatment. It was nice to make it in this time for something other than having cancer!

‘Human factors’ science turns to tackle improving outcomes in hospitals

Research is underway looking at how ergonomics impacts patients in hospital with the aim of boosting the provision of care.

Source: www.abc.net.au/news/2017-09-27/study-underway-into-how-human-factors-impact-care-in-hospitals/8987732