Ergonomic assessment of the driving cabs of railway vehicles

The GB Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) is currently revising the rail-specific human factors recommendations for an update to Railway Group Standard GM/RT2161, 1995, "Requirements for Driving Cabs of Railway Vehicles". With this objective, the human modelling system SAMMIE (System for Aiding Man Machine Interaction Evaluation) has been used to test a number of train cab designs. An anthropometric review of the train driving population was undertaken to provide data for this analysis. This was done to allow a comparison between the train driving population and the national population, with the aim of creating multivariate human models that could be used in SAMMIE. 109 train drivers were measured giving ten dimensions per driver that were then used to create human models in the software. These train drivers were measured at 4 locations in England and Scotland. In parallel with this activity the (former) GNER (Great North Eastern Railway) Class 43 train cabs (original and revised) were measured and modelled in the SAMMIE software. Each train cab was then assessed using a range of human model sizes in order to determine if they meet existing standards regarding track visibility, seat design, control and displays design, and distance of the eye point from the windscreen. The assessment highlighted a number of recommendations regarding seat design and control location. It is anticipated that the successful analysis of the Class 43 train cab will result in an expansion of the use of human modelling software in the rail industry

An Inclusive Design Method for Addressing Human Variability and Work Performance Issues

Humans play vital roles in manufacturing systems, but work performance is strongly influenced by factors such as experience, age, level of skill, physical and cognitive abilities and attitude towards work. Current manufacturing system design processes need to consider these human variability issues and their impact on work performance. An ‘inclusive design’ approach is proposed to consider the increasing diversity of the global workforce in terms of age, gender, cultural background, skill and experience. The decline in physical capabilities of older workers creates a mismatch between job demands and working capabilities which can be seen in manufacturing assembly that typically requires high physical demands for repetitive and accurate motions. The inclusive design approach leads to a reduction of this mismatch that results in a more productive, safe and healthy working environment giving benefits to the organization and individuals in terms of workforce satisfaction, reduced turnover, higher productivity and improved product quality

HADRIAN: A human factors computer-aided inclusive design tool for transport planning

HADRIAN is a computer-based inclusive design tool developed initially to support the design of kitchen and shopping based tasks. The tool is currently being expanded to include data on an individual’s ability to undertake a variety of transport-related tasks, such as vehicle ingress/egress, coping with uneven surfaces, steps, street furniture and complex pedestrian environments. A feature of the enhanced HADRIAN tool will be a journey planner that compares an individual’s physical, cognitive and emotional abilities with the demands that will placed upon that individual depending on the mode(s) of transport available and the route options

Collection of transport-related data to promote inclusive design door-to-door

A computer-based inclusive design tool (HADRIAN), developed under the EPSRC ‘EQUAL’ initiative, is being expanded through the EPSRC Sustainable Urban Environments programme. This development will result in the tool including data on transport usage and related issues, providing a database of physical, emotional and cognitive information for 100 individuals, including those who are older and/or physically disabled. The collection of anthropometry by use of body scanning technology, as well as issues concerning the collection of physical capability data, whether by field observation, questionnaire response, or laboratory trials, are discussed. The work detailed is ongoing, and presented here are the methodological and ethical issues arising from consideration of the needs of those wishing to make journeys, and the collection of data to facilitate better design and policy to ease that process. This paper should be read in conjunction with Porter et al. (2006) also presented at the conference

HADRIAN: supporting design for all

HADRIAN is a software tool developed to support designers in their efforts to ‘design for all’. Current research is expanding the tool to transport related tasks. This includes supporting investigations of the whole journey environment. This development is moving towards a journey planner that allows each stage of a journey to be assessed against an individual’s physical, cognitive and emotional abilities. This journey planner will then support both individuals wishing to make a journey, and also designers and planners wishing to investigate the inclusiveness of a new design. Much of the data collection has been completed and a concept for the journey planner is outlined. The development of this work also poses a number of significant challenges which are discussed

Validation of the HADRIAN system with a train station design case study

The HADRIAN (Human Anthropometric Data Requirements Investigation & Analysis) human modelling system is under development at Loughborough University as part of the EPSRC funded AUNT-SUE (Accessibility and User Needs in Transport for Sustainable Urban Environments) project. The HADRIAN system aims to foster a ‘design for all’ ethos by allowing ergonomists and designers to see the effects of different kinds of disability on the physical capabilities of elderly and disabled people. This system is based upon the long established SAMMIE system (System for Aiding Man Machine Interaction Evaluation), and uses data collected from 102 elderly and disabled individuals (Joint range of motion and anthropometry, ability to use steps and stairs, lifts escalators etc.). The HADRIAN system allows three dimensional CAD data of new products to be imported, with subsequent analysis using all of 102 sample members. The 102 sample includes a stature range of 1st% UK female to 99th%ile UK male, and also includes a range of disabilities that have been assessed using scales from Martin et al (1994). In this way the needs of people with specific conditions, such as arthritis, can be demonstrated and where possible, design accommodation can be improved. This paper describes the validation activity that is underway with the HADRIAN system. The validation reflects the transport focus of the AUNT SUE project by using HADRIAN to analyse the user interaction points that people encounter when using the Docklands Light Railway in London. This includes the use of ticket machines, the use of the train station infrastructure such as lifts and steps and stairs, and the use of ATMs to obtain cash. The validation is being performed by comparing the predicted results from HADRIAN and the abilities of users when performing real life tasks such as retrieving a ticket from a machine, or pressing a floor button when in a lift

A design ergonomics approach to accessibility and user needs in transport

This paper describes research carried out into the area of accessibility and 'design for all'. The Accessibility and User Needs in Transport (AUNT-SUE) project was initiated to develop and test sustainable policies and practice that would deliver effective socially inclusive design and operation in transport and the public realm. Loughborough University's role in the project focuses on the provision of data on users that is accessible, valid, and applicable and a means of utilising the data to assess the accessibility of designs during the early stages of development. These needs have led to the development of the authors' inclusive design tool called HADRIAN. Data were collected on 100 people the majority of whom are older or have some form of impairment. These data include size, shape, capability, preferences and experiences with a range of daily activities and transport related tasks. These are partnered with a simple task analysis system. The system supports the construction of a task linked to a CAD model of a design to be evaluated. The task is then carried out by the virtual individuals in the database. Accessibility issues are reported by the system allowing excluded people to be investigated. Thus HADRIAN supports designers and ergonomists in attempting to 'design for all' by fostering empathy with the intended users, meeting their data needs through an accessible and applicable database and providing a means of gaining some of the feedback possible with a real user trial at a much earlier stage in the design process

The psychological stress perspective: a unifying view of accessibility in public transport and beyond

Making public transport accessible to all is important because of its role in social inclusion and environmental sustainability. The UK public transport network is a complex system with a multitude of operators providing services on different scales with different vehicles. A single journey can put a variety of demands on a person wishing to travel and these demands that can exclude people from using public transport take many different forms. A range of physical, sensory, cognitive, and emotional factors effect how people with different of abilities, ages, genders, ethnicities and socioeconomic status use public transport. This complexity makes the task of assessing access to the system problematic. This paper proposes that all the factors that contribute to people’s non-participation in public transport and other human systems can be regarded as stressors. Psychological stress theory provides a language to explain exclusion and a unifying perspective with which all accessibility barriers can be viewed in the same way. A method called Human System Stressor Analysis (HSSA) has been devised to identify, assess and compare stressors that are found in a system. An example of HSSA being applied to public transport use is provided. This was used to identify an opportunity for a product design solution and led to the design of a journey planning kiosk. An understanding of psychological stress was applied throughout the design process with two new tools used to inform design decisions: the Panic Matrix to generate empathy and STUD Tables (Stressors as a function of Time, Uncertainty and Difficulty) to compare alternative solutions. The AUNT-SUE (Accessibility and User Needs in Transport for Sustainable Urban Environments) project is currently developing a tool that applies the stress perspective to journey accessibility assessment. This tool is intended to model journey stress for a range of individual people in the HADRIAN (Human Anthropometric Data Requirements Investigation and Analysis) database. Finally it is suggested that the psychological stress perspective could be used as a unifying measure throughout ergonomics, the potential benefits and problems with this approach are discussed and opportunities for further research to establish its validity and practicality are identified

Digital human modelling for virtual fitting trials

A recognised difficulty with the conventional use of Digital Human Modelling (DHM) systems is that they typically use percentile data to describe anthropometry and joint constraints. Hence any model is a synthesis of the set of data rather than a representation of any particular human. Implicit in this is that an acceptable degree of correlation exists between body dimensions whereas it has long been known that only weak correlations exist. The consequences are obvious in that products are designed/evaluated against models of humans that do not exist. An alternative approach is to use pre-defined families of manikins that together ‘enclose’ and represent the necessary diversity of human form. In the real world, rather than the digital world, ergonomists use real people in ‘fitting trials’. These people might be selected on the basis of the need for diversity covering the range of anthropometry that is thought necessary for the product evaluation but the practical considerations rarely allow an exhaustive evaluation. This paper describes an amalgam of the two approaches where the anthropometry and other aspects of more than 150 people has been collected experimentally. This data is used within the HADRIAN system as discrete sets of data rather than as the basis for a percentile representation. i.e. the data is maintained as sets relating to each individual and used to construct digital models of individuals. This is combined with a task description language that is used to drive the product or workplace evaluation in a way that is analogous to a physical fitting trial. The approach is being used within AUNT-SUE (Accessibility and User Needs in Transport – Sustainable Urban Environments) a wide–ranging research project looking at exclusion in public transport systems. The use of the HADRIAN approach is illustrated through a focus on the creation of a journey planner that meets the needs of a diverse range of people including the elderly and disabled

Why are eligible patients not prescribed aspirin in primary care? A qualitative study indicating measures for improvement

BACKGROUND: Despite evidence-based guidelines, aspirin prescribing for the secondary prevention of stroke is sub-optimal. Little is known about why general practitioners do not prescribe aspirin to indicated patients. We sought to identify and describe factors that lead general practitioners (GPs) not to prescribe aspirin to eligible stroke patients. This was the first stage of a study exploring the need for and means of improving levels of appropriate aspirin prescribing. METHOD: Qualitative interviews with 15 GPs in the West Midlands. RESULTS: Initially, many GPs did not regard their prescribing as difficult or sub-optimal. However on reflection, they gave several reasons that lead to them not prescribing aspirin for eligible patients or being uncertain. These include: difficulties in applying generic guidelines to individuals presenting in consultations, patient resistance to taking aspirin, the prioritisation of other issues in a time constrained consultation and problems in reviewing the medication of existing stroke patients. CONCLUSION: In order to improve levels of appropriate aspirin prescribing, the nature and presentation risk information available to GPs and patients must be improved. GPs need support in assessing the risks and benefits of prescribing for patients with combinations of complicating risk factors, while means of facilitating improved GP-patient dialogue are required to help address patient uncertainty. A decision analysis based support system is one option. Decision analysis could synthesise current evidence and identify risk data for a range of patient profiles commonly presenting in primary care. These data could then be incorporated into a user-friendly computerised decision support system to help facilitate improved GP-patient communication. Measures of optimum prescribing based upon aggregated prescribing data must be interpreted with caution. It is not possible to assess whether low levels of prescribing reflect appropriate or inappropriate use of aspirin in specific patients where concordance between the GP and the patient is practised