Citation

Lamonde F. Int. J. Ind. Ergonomics 1996; 17(6): 481-497.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1996, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

There is an important trend in ergonomics that proposes designing work situations by integrating, in an industrial project, decision criteria based on user activity. This approach, called 'activity oriented ergonomics', models the activities that users execute during normal operations. Modelling serves as the basis for determining design criteria, namely the system's change recommendations for technical components (e.g., controls, procedures), organizational components (e.g., coordination organization, assigning of responsibilities), and human components (e.g., training). This article discusses the application of an ergonomic modelling approach to the design of complex production systems. Specifically, in improving system reliability, certain questions arise concerning the modelling and the designing of activity coordination of physically isolated operators, whom either work in a centralized control room or in the field. The following findings stem from an ergonomic study done in a Canadian railway company. The modelling of cognitive activity of locomotive engineers in real work situations allowed the description of natural coordination process between train crews and dispatchers. In addition, it revealed the role of this process in railway system reliability and unreliability. Consequently, short-term and long-term coordination design criteria were identified. It also raised pertinent methodological questions about optimizing the reliability of any complex system based on a division of responsibilities between physically isolated operators.