The Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS) has been accrediting air and ground transport services since 1991. One of the most significant needs the Commission has recognized is to assist transport services in creating a culture that supports safety and quality for both crews and patients. Most of the helicopter EMS (emergency medical service) accidents and many ground ambulance accidents can be attributed to human factors and systems designs that lead to poor decision-making. Management commitment is vital to create and maintain a culture that supports risk assessment, accountability, professionalism and organizational dynamics. This reference book has been created by CAMTS to address this need directly and comprehensively. It offers a groundbreaking collection of expert insights and practical solutions that can be used by EMS, Fire and Rescue, public and private services, and professional emergency and transport professionals worldwide. Quoting from the foreword written by the late Robert L. Helmreich, Professor Emeritus of Psychology at The University of Texas Human Factors Research Project, 'This is an important book which should be required reading for everyone involved in patient transport, from managers and dispatchers to those at the sharp end... The experienced and able authors and editors of this work use culture as the overarching concept needed to maximize safety while delivering patients expeditiously.'

Effective use of driving simulators requires considerable technical and methodological skill along with considerable background knowledge. Acquiring the requisite knowledge and skills can be extraordinarily time consuming, yet there has been no single convenient and comprehensive source of information on the driving simulation research being conducted around the world. A how-to-do-it resource for researchers and professionals, Handbook of Driving Simulation for Engineering, Medicine, and Psychology brings together discussions of technical issues in driving simulation with broad areas in which driving simulation is now playing a role. The chapters explore technical considerations, methodological issues, special and impaired populations, evaluation of in-vehicle and nomadic devices, and infrastructure evaluations. It examines hardware and software selection, visual database and scenario development, independent subject variables and dependent vehicle, environmental, and psychological variables, statistical and biostatistical analysis, different types of drivers, existing and future key-in vehicle devises, and validation of research. A compilation of the research from more than 100 of the world's top thinkers and practitioners, the book covers basic and advanced technical topics and provides a comprehensive review of the issues related to driving simulation. It describes literally hundreds of different simulation scenarios, provides color photographs of those scenarios, and makes available select videos of the scenarios on an accompanying web site, all of which should prove essential for seasoned researchers and for individuals new to driving simulation.

The world is a dangerous place and recent events have served to make it less safe. There are many arenas of conflict and even combat across the world. Such situations are the quintessential expression of stress; you stand in imminent danger and live with the knowledge that you may be attacked, injured or even killed at any moment. How do people perform under these conditions? How do they keep a heightened level of vigilance when nothing may happen in their immediate location for weeks or even months? What happens when the bullets actually start flying? How is it you distinguish friend from foe, and each from innocent bystanders when in immediate peril of your life? Can we design technology to help people make good decisions in these ultimately hazardous situations? To what degree does your membership in a team act to dissipate these particular effects? Can we generate sufficiently stressful field exercises to simulate these conditions and can we train and/or select those most able to withstand such adverse conditions? How will the next generation of servicemen deal with these inherent problems? These are the sorts of questions that Performance Under Stress addresses. This book is derived largely from a multiple-year, multiple university initiative (MURI) on stress and soldier performance on the modern, electronic battlefield. It involved leading researchers from many institutions who have brought their individual expertise to bear on these crucial, contemporary concerns. United by a common research framework, these groups attacked the issue from different methodological and conceptual approaches, ranging from traditional laboratory modeling and experimentation, to realistic simulations; from involved field exercises to personal experiences of actual combat conditions. The insights generated have been distilled and presented as a benchmark of current understanding and provide future directions for research in this arena. Although this work focuses on soldier stress and soldier performance, the principles that are derived extend well beyond this single application. Their findings can be applied to people facing the demands of the business world or research as much as to those who meet life or death situations, such as homeland security, first responders, and law enforcement personnel.

Safety suffers from the variety of methods and models that are used to assess human performance. For example, operation is concerned primarily with human error, while design deals with aligning the system to workload or situational awareness, and the gap between the two disassociates safety assessment from design. As a result, system design creates constraints for the operator working at the sharp-end, which will inevitably lead to human error. Accidents and incidents across all industries have demonstrated the safety significance of this gap. Cognition and Safety provides an integrated view of cognitive human issues to better enhance safety. It combines operational with design-related concepts of cognitive performance to provide an approach for safely managing cognitive issues throughout the lifecycle of a system, from operational to senior management levels. The book will be of direct interest to operational managers, designers, training specialists, safety managers and operational staff dealing with human factors and safety issues; scientists in the area of safety, ergonomics and human factors; regulators dealing with safety and human factors, and practitioners in the field of human reliability.

This is the first of two edited volumes from an international group of researchers and specialists, which together comprise the edited proceedings of the First International Conference on Engineering Psychology and Cognitive Ergonomics, organized by Cranfield College of Aeronautics at Stratford-upon-Avon, England in October 1996. The applications areas include aerospace and other transportation, human-computer interaction, process control and training technology. Topics addressed include: the design of control and display systems; human perception, error, reliability, information processing, and human perception, error, reliability, information processing, and awareness, skill acquisition and retention; techniques for evaluating human-machine systems and the physiological correlates of performance. This volume covers Human Factors in transportation systems. Part One opens with a chapter by Chris Wickens on attentional issues in head-up displays; its concluding chapter by Peter Jorna, pulls together the Human Factors issues in air traffic management from both the pilot's and the air traffic controller's perspectives. Part Two considers the ground-based aspects to air traffic control, while Part Three emphasizes the psychology of the individual. The opening chapter of Part Four uses lessons learned from aviation to avoid similar mistakes in road vehicles. The final part contains topics such as naval command and control, and automation in trains and armoured fighting vehicles.

The third edition of a bestseller, Hazardous Materials Chemistry for Emergency Responders continues to provide the fundamentals of "street chemistry" required by emergency response personnel. Emergency response and hazmat expert Robert Burke takes the basics of chemistry appropriate for response personnel and puts it into understandable terms. The author has retained the style and format that made the previous editions so popular while updating the information to keep the book relevant. See What's in the Third Edition: Expanded section on Ethanol and its hazards to responders Update of NFPA 472 Chemistry requirements Revised section on "hazmat elements" with more hazards and response issues Includes a focus on the importance of the "hazmat elements" of chemical families New incident examples New photographs and graphics The chapters are organized by the nine U.S. Department of Transportation's hazard classes. Almost every hazardous material presents more than one hazard; the DOT's placarding and labeling system only identifies the most severe hazards. Therefore, the book provides additional information about hidden hazards for each hazard class. It discusses individual chemicals, their hazards and their physical and chemical characteristics, both as distinct chemicals and within chemical families. The book offers a concise presentation of the topics of most importance to emergency responders on a day-to-day basis. It provides the basic chemistry a responder needs to understand chemical terminology and communicate with others about the chemicals involved in hazardous materials incidents.

The Handbook of Human-Machine Interaction features 20 original chapters and a conclusion focusing on human-machine interaction (HMI) from analysis, design and evaluation perspectives. It offers a comprehensive range of principles, methods, techniques and tools to provide the reader with a clear knowledge of the current academic and industry practice and debate that define the field. The text considers physical, cognitive, social and emotional aspects and is illustrated by key application domains such as aerospace, automotive, medicine and defence. Above all, this volume is designed as a research guide that will both inform readers on the basics of human-machine interaction from academic and industrial perspectives and also provide a view ahead at the means through which human-centered designers, including engineers and human factors specialists, will attempt to design and develop human-machine systems.

Applying Properties of Animals Skins to Inspire Architectural Envelopes Biology influences design projects in many ways; the related discipline is known as biomimetics or biomimicry. Using the animal kingdom as a source of inspiration, Ilaria Mazzoleni seeks to instill a shift in thinking about the application of biological principles to design and architecture. She focuses on the analysis of how organisms have adapted to different environments and translates the learned principles into the built environment. To illustrate the methodology, Mazzoleni draws inspiration from the diversity of animal coverings, referred to broadly as skin, and applies them to the design of building envelopes through a series of twelve case studies. Skin is a complex organ that performs a multitude of functions; namely, it serves as a link between the body and the environment. Similarly, building envelopes act as interfaces between their inhabitants and external elements. The resulting architectural designs illustrate an integrative methodology that allows architecture to follow nature. "Ilaria Mazzoleni, in collaboration with biologist Shauna Price, has developed a profound methodology for architectural and design incentives that anticipates and proposes novel ways to explore undiscovered biological inspirations for various audiences."-Yoseph Bar-Cohen

Communications research in aviation is widely regarded by many in the healthcare community as the 'gold standard' to emulate. Yet healthcare and aviation differ in many ways, as do the vital communications shared among members of clinical teams. Aviation team communication should, then, be understood in terms of what lessons will benefit those who work in healthcare. In Improving Healthcare Team Communication, renowned experts provide insights from 'sharp end' operator research in high-hazard sectors that shed light on the performance of cognitive tasks including resource availability assessment, allocation, anticipation, prediction, trade-off decisions, speculation and negotiation. The book reports on recent field research to address what is known, and what needs to be learned, about team communication among operators. Students, clinicians and healthcare managers can find answers in it to the questions they face daily. How can healthcare information be better shared? What can we expect from its improvement, and how do we get there? Lessons learned from team communication research and experience in aviation and healthcare will point the way to improved patient safety.

This book presents a human factors and ergonomics evaluation of a digital Mission Planning and Battle-space Management (MP/BM) system. An emphasis was placed on the activities at the Brigade (Bde) and the Battle Group (BG) headquarters (HQ) levels. The analysts distributed their time evenly between these two locations. The human factors team from Brunel University, as part of the HFI DTC, undertook a multi-faceted approach to the investigation, including: - observation of people using the traditional analogue MP/BM processes in the course of their work - cognitive work analysis of the digital MP/BM system - analysis of the tasks and goal structure required by the digital MP/BM - assessment against a usability questionnaire - analysis of the distributed situation awareness - an environmental survey. The book concludes with a summary of the research project's findings and offers many valuable insights. For example, the recommendations for short-term improvements in the current generation of digital MP/BM system address general design improvements, user-interface design improvements, hardware improvements, infrastructure improvements and support improvements. In looking forward to the next generation digital MP/BM systems, general human factors design principles are presented and human factors issues in digitising mission planning are considered.

Team collaboration involves many operational tasks such as team decision-making or course of action selection, developing shared understanding, and intelligence analysis. These operational tasks must be performed in many situations, often under severe time pressure, with information and knowledge uncertainty, large amounts of dynamic information and across different team characteristics. Recent research in this area has focused on various aspects of human collaborative decision-making and the underlying cognitive processes while describing those processes at different levels of detail, making it difficult to compare research results. The theoretical construct of 'macrocognition in teams' was developed to facilitate cognitive research in team collaboration, which will enable a common level of understanding when defining, measuring and discussing the cognitive processes in team collaboration. Macrocognition is defined as both the internalized and externalized mental processes employed by team members in complex, one-of-a-kind, collaborative problem solving. Macrocognition in Teams provides readers with a greater understanding of the macrocognitive processes which support collaborative team activity, showcasing current research, theories, methodologies and tools. It will be of direct relevance to academics, researchers and practitioners interested in group/team interaction, performance, development and training.

It is estimated that, in the United States, around 20 percent of all Police-reported road crashes involve driver distraction as a contributing factor. This figure increases if other forms of inattention are considered. Evidence (reviewed in this volume) suggests that the situation is similar in other countries and that driver distraction and inattention are even more dangerous as contributing factors in crashes than drug and alcohol intoxication. Having a solid evidence-base from which to develop injury countermeasures is a cornerstone of road-safety management. This book adds to the accumulating evidence-base on driver distraction and inattention. With 24 chapters by 52 authors from more than 10 countries, it provides important new perspectives on the definition and meaning of driver distraction and inattention, the mechanisms that characterize them, the measurement of their effects, strategies for mitigating their effects, and recommendations for further research. The goal of this book is to inspire further research and countermeasure development to prevent and mitigate the potentially adverse effects of driver distraction and driver inattention, and, in doing so, to save lives.

This book discusses the specifics of safety regulations regarding nuclear risk and how experts contribute to the safety of nuclear installations. Drawing on research conducted in collaboration with the French Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN), the ideas that are put forward rely on a review of the practices of specialists in human and organizational factors concerning nuclear safety. The author shows that the French approach depends on maintaining a technical dialogue between the regulatory authority (ASN), IRSN and nuclear operators. This method of risk management is known as "French cooking" in the Anglo-Saxon world, where a more formal regulatory approach is taken. This technical dialogue does however hold certain benefits, particularly in the field of human and organizational factors, where it allows an advancement of the state of knowledge, which remains incomplete. After the Fukushima accident, in the face of an ongoing European and global re-evaluation of the safety of nuclear power and alignment towards the Anglo-Saxon standard, the French cooking approach may yet be able to make a significant contribution. This work will be of interest to all involved in nuclear power engineering and in the field of risk management and nuclear safety. Includes a preface by Jacques Repussard, Director General, IRSN, France, and a postface by Erik Hollnagel, Professor, Institute of Regional Health Research, University of Southern Denmark / Chief Consultant, Centre for Quality, Region of Southern Denmark.

The Handbook of Human Factors in Web Design covers basic human factors issues relating to screen design, input devices, and information organization and processing, as well as addresses newer features which will become prominent in the next generation of Web technologies. These include multimodal interfaces, wireless capabilities, and agents that can improve convenience and usability. Written by leading researchers and/or practitioners in the field, this volume reflects the varied backgrounds and interests of individuals involved in all aspects of human factors and Web design and includes chapters on a full range of topics. Divided into 12 sections, this book covers: historical backgrounds and overviews of Human Factors and Ergonomics (HFE) specific subfields of HFE issues involved in content preparation for the Web information search and interactive information agents designing for universal access and specific user populations the importance of incorporating usability evaluations in the design process task analysis, meaning analysis, and performance modeling specific Web applications in academic and industrial settings Web psychology and information security emerging technological developments and applications for the Web the costs and benefits of incorporating human factors for the Web and the state of current guidelines The Handbook of Human Factors in Web Design is intended for researchers and practitioners concerned with all aspects of Web design. It could also be used as a text for advanced courses in computer science, industrial engineering, and psychology.

Broadly defined as the science and technology of systems responding to neural processes in the brain, neuroadaptive systems (NASs) has become a rapidly developing area of study. One of the first books available in this emerging area, Neuroadaptive Systems: Theory and Applications synthesizes knowledge about human behavior, cognition, neural processing, and technology and how it can be used to optimize the design, development, modeling, simulation, and applications of complex neuro-based systems. Balancing coverage of theory and applications, the book examines the general aims of NASs and how neurogenomics can be applied in training applications. It includes important results and findings gathered from approximately two decades of brain computer interaction research. But more than this, the book details the underlying rationale for using NASs compared to other kinds of human-machine systems and raises questions and concerns about budding neuro-scientific areas that gives insight into the way humans may interact with neuro-technological systems in the future. With contributions from international professionals and researchers, this book presents state-of-the-art developments in neuroscience, human factors, and brain activity measurement. Packed with models, case studies, research results, and illustrations, it discusses approaches to understanding the functions of neuronal networks, and then explores challenges and applications of neuroadaptive systems. It provides tools for future development and the theory to support it.

The book takes as its starting point the crisis of healthcare in the UK: impossible health targets managed through command and control management and a stomach-churning rise in racism, whistleblowing and victimisation in the NHS. The use of nationally set productivity targets combined with austerity cuts have increasingly put clinical best-practice into direct conflict with funding. Health targets have become politically controlled, and performance has become a cynical exercise in ticking boxes, cascaded within trusts and bulldozed through frontline services. This has led directly to a precarious system of employment relations, subject to the continual restructuring of services rather than the goal of creating functioning interdisciplinary teams that stand a chance of capturing clinical excellence. This book is written for workers and managers who are on the frontline of the battle for decent healthcare. The content of this book is based on the 'ordinary' expertise of the people who are actually surviving it and helpful ideas about making the best out of a bad lot. Surviving Work in Healthcare will be of interest to healthcare professionals and anyone working on the frontline of healthcare as well as students of management, human resources and psychology.

Drugs and the workplace just don't mix. Yes, most users of illicit drugs are employed adults and there's a high correlation between levels of stress, income and alcohol abuse amongst professional and managerial employees. But the risks associated with drug use and abuse in the workplace have been well defined. Addiction at Work enables you to understand the background and extent of the problem: the cost of drug abuse to your organization; the role your own organizational culture may have in encouraging drug misuse; the risks associated with dangerous or stressful jobs. There are also chapters to help you understand the symptoms of drug abuse and the potential risks associated with perfectly legal prescription or over-the-counter medicines. The right kind of drug policy can be a significant weapon to fight this problem. So Addiction at Work explores your responsibility as an employer and how to design, communicate and implement a policy that is appropriate for your organization. Finally, there are chapters on the tools and techniques open to your organization for tackling the problem head on; ways of addressing problem behaviours; the advantages and disadvantages of drug screening and the ethics associated with this practice; employee assistance programmes and specialist care and, finally, the employment law issues around drugs. Addiction at Work has been written by some of the world-authorities on drug use in the workplace. It is an essential reference for organizations seeking a way through the human, ethical and legal issues (and the risk they present to any employer) of a social problem that is increasingly impacting employees whatever their work or the nature of their workplace.

This book is based on an international symposium on the Ergonomics of Working Postures, at Zadar. It explores fairly specific areas of occupational ergonomics with the purpose of drawing together major current trends.

"Ergonomics in Computerized Offices should be required reading for office managers, union representatives, engineers, designers, or anyone employed in implementing a computerized office or improving conditions in an already computerized office...an excellent addition to any personal library."--Human Factors Bulletin

The book is in three parts, which consider training from the perspective of the learner, the instructor and the organization. Its intended readership includes civil and military training and senior pilots, flying instructors, check pilots, CRM facilitators, Human Factors and safety departments, and aviation and educational psychologists as well as those in operations and air traffic management and regulatory authorities.

Recent years have witnessed several tragedies during school and youth expeditions. This in turn has led to legislation and the tight regulation of Outdoor Activity Centres, with successive governments issuing guidelines for teachers and others supervising such activities. Inevitably there will always be risk in relation to adventurous pursuits in the outdoors, but the law in this area seeks a balance between the educational benefits gained and the need to safeguard against potential hazards. Mythologies have arisen, including the suggestion that a 'blame culture' is so overwhelming that no youth worker or teacher can sensibly engage anymore in such activities. This succinct guide to the legal position refers to a wide range of outdoor activities and recent legal cases. It demolishes some of the myths, pointing out common pitfalls noted in the research and in the litigation, together with an outline of robust safety features to combat potential hazards.

This book is the third in the series and describes some of the most recent advances and examines emerging problems in engineering psychology and cognitive ergonomics. It bridges the gap between the academic theoreticians, who are developing models of human performance, and practitioners in the industrial sector, responsible for the design, development and testing of new equipment and working practices.

Cockpit Displays is an in-depth examination of the design rationales, test philosophy and test procedures for cockpit systems. Whilst its main emphasis is on cockpit displays, it also includes an important discussion of flight management systems and mission computers. Areas covered include: the cockpit design process, test techniques for flight displays and equipment, and situation awareness testing. Comparing civil and military requirements, it is an important analysis of the lessons learned from test and evaluation and will be of interest to cockpit systems design engineering staff at major airframe manufacturers, procurement executives and program managers at military aircraft program offices and flight test engineers and test pilots.

Parametric cost estimating models are flexible tools which bring engineering, scientific and mathematical rigour to cost and schedule estimating, but great tools alone will not keep programs affordable. Tools must be applied as part of a credible process if estimates and analyses are to be accepted. Complex major projects involving engineering, hardware, software, service and IT, all suffer from two basic problems: the project sponsors often struggle to specify the project effectively, and project managers find themselves wrestling with unpredicted cost or schedule overruns. Everyone wants to be successful with the tools and solutions they use, so this book is a comprehensive collection of methods with proven success. The applications described by Dale Shermon and his co-authors have evolved over 30 years of cost engineering experience during which time they have been matured by the parametric community. Each chapter explores a different application of parametrics, based on real-life case examples, providing you with a detailed guide to the rationale and value of cost engineering in a different industry or program context. Systems Cost Engineering will help cost engineers, project and program directors, and the champions that support them, to understand and apply parametrics to ensure that their programs: * offer a credible analysis of alternative cost options * are never initiated with insufficient funding because of inaccurate estimates of cost or quantification of risks * are never diverted from their objective because of a lack of credible cost management * share and communicate knowledge of realistic and dynamic cost and productivity metrics amongst the program team * are never derailed by surprise cost overruns or schedule delays The information in this book will give projects sponsors and bid managers confidence in the business case that they are developing and enable them to communicate a clear and transparent picture of the risks, opportunities and benefits to stakeholders and project owners.

Despite ubiquitous powerful technologies such as networked computers, global positioning systems, and cell phones; human failures in decision-making and performance continue to have disastrous consequences. Electronic Performance Support: Using Digital Technology to Enhance Human Ability, reminds everyone involved in education, training, human performance engineering, and related fields of the enormous importance of this area. Ironically, the more complex technology becomes, the more performance support may be needed, and that's why the extraordinary expertise shared in this book is especially valuable. The authors emphasize the psychological aspects of performance support, the fundamental limitations of human memory, perception, cognition, conation, and psychomotor skills and how they can be reduced through electronic performance support, as one of the most important pursuits of this century. Readers will find the material presented extremely useful because of its generic basis - which underlines much of the contemporary use of electronic technology for supporting people who are engaged in problem-solving activities. At the same time, the book gives examples of the application of electronic performance support in a number of specific domains. Possible future developments for electronic performance support are also discussed. The technological challenges we face today, both globally and locally, are more urgent than most people seem willing to acknowledge, and there is no time to waste putting the ideas expressed in this book into action.