Gemma Read

Rasmussen’s Risk Management Framework (RMF; Rasmussen, 1997) is arguably the most popular model of safety and risk within Ergonomics and Human Factors (EHF). However, the RMF was developed almost thirty years ago and there are questions regarding its suitability for contemporary systems and problems. In this presentation we outline and demonstrate a revised and extended RMF for contemporary sociotechnical systems.

This systematic literature review identified peer-reviewed applications of systems HFE methods to determine the range of problems examined and how the methods have been applied. The review revealed a growth in applications of systems HFE methods over time. The review suggests that as problem and system complexity continue to intensify, continual evaluation and potential adaption of methods may be required, including using more than one method.

Responding to identity theft incidents is complex however our current understanding of the response system is limited. This study applied a systems analysis with the aim of identifying the actors that share the responsibility for victim outcomes following identity theft incidents in Australia. The findings identify a diverse set of 60 actor types involved in the response process and emphasise the lack of a single ‘one-stop-shop’ point of contact for victims. Recommendations for improvement are suggested.

Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) are a rapidly developing technology with the potential for a wide range of applications, yet the technology and its possible risks are poorly understood. The aim of this study was to develop and analyse an abstraction hierarchy model of a hypothetical, advanced invasive BCI system lifecycle to identify potential design lifecycle risks. Ten subject matter experts participated in a workshop to validate a BCI lifecycle abstraction hierarchy, which was subsequently analysed using the Sociotechnical Systems-Design Toolkit (STS-DT) prompts. The analysis identified the system purpose of generating wealth for companies and shareholders conflicted with other system purposes relating to health and wellbeing. Findings also identified poorly supported system functions, such as the regulation of BCI technologies, and potentially unreliable system objects. In conclusion, it is recommended that the identified issues be addressed through a sociotechnical systems approach focusing on joint optimisation across the system.

There are concerns that Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) could pose an existential threat to humanity; however, as AGI does not yet exist it is difficult to prospectively identify risks and develop controls. In this article we describe the use of a many model systems Human Factors and Ergonomics (HFE) approach in which three methods were applied to identify risks in a future ‘envisioned world’ AGI-based uncrewed combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) system. The findings demonstrate that there are many potential risks, but that the most critical arise not due to poor performance, but when the AGI attempts to achieve goals at the expense of other system values, or when the AGI becomes ‘super-intelligent’, and humans can no longer manage it.

Collisions at rail level crossings remain a pressing concern, with the influences on user behaviour a critical area of research. This paper reports the findings of an observational study of pedestrian and cyclist non-compliant behaviours at 10 rail level crossing sites in Australia. The findings illustrate the diversity in crossing designs and how these differences may influence behaviour. General recommendations are provided, alongside the need to consider context-specific risk controls.

The next generation of artificial intelligence, known as Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), could either revolutionise or destroy humanity. Human Factors and Ergonomics (HFE) has a critical role to play in the design of safe and ethical AGI; however, there is little evidence that HFE is contributing to development programs. This paper presents the findings from a study which involved the use of the Work Domain Analysis Broken Nodes approach to identify the risks that could emerge in a future ‘envisioned world’ AGI based unmanned combat aerial vehicle system. The findings demonstrate that there are various potential risks, but that the most critical arise not due to poor performance, but rather when the AGI attempts to achieve goals at the expense of other system values, or when the AGI becomes ‘super intelligent’, and humans can no longer manage it. The urgent need for further work exploring the design of AGI controls is emphasised.

Automated shuttles are currently being trialed as a new transport solution however to date there has been a lack of studies investigating how other road users interact with these new types of vehicles. The aim of this study was to understand the situation awareness (SA) of road users (driver, cyclist, motorcyclist, pedestrian) interacting with an automated shuttle on a public road. Naturalistic data were collected, and the Event Analysis of Systemic Teamwork was used to develop task, social and information networks for a scenario when all four road user types interacted with the automated shuttle at a T-intersection. The findings provide early insights into SA of different road users when interacting with automated shuttles at unsignalized intersections. Such insights could be used to improve the design of shuttles and road environments to support the SA and decision making of human road users.

Cognitive work analysis is a systems analysis framework from the field of human factors. The framework provides information about the constraints of agent behaviour that can potentially be useful for the development of agent-based models. This chapter discusses a current programme of research which aims to integrate cognitive work analysis with agent-based modelling to identify and manage emergent risks to safety associated with the introduction of automated vehicles into the road transport system. A proposed approach to the integration of the methods is described.

Automation is an integral part of modern aviation operations. However, the discipline of human factors has long acknowledged its limitations and called for improved design. The aim of this study was to analyse automation-related incidents and accidents in aviation to identify recurring contributory factors. Sixteen investigation reports for incidents and accidents involving automated systems were included in the study. The reports were analysed using the AcciMap approach and a contributory factor classification scheme was applied. Results showed that multiple interacting factors from across aviation systems contribute to automation-related incidents and accidents. The most frequently identified contributory factors were associated with situation awareness, compliance with procedures and unsafe acts, judgement and decision making, design of the automation, and organizational policy and procedures relating to use of the automation. It is suggested that improving the design of automated systems to better support situation awareness, decision making and air crew performance generally would provide a safety benefit.