Human Factors in the Design of Manufacturing Systems

Abstract

The contributions which human factors studies can make to industry are discussed in this paper. Broadly, contributions can be made in two areas, product design and the design and use of manufacturing equipment. The latter area is the major concern of this paper and some of the work done on ordinary manufacturing equipment is described. A major problem is the validation of human factors recommendations and it is pointed out here that the normal short-term evaluation is inadequate. For the effective use of people in industry it is necessary for human factors personnel to take a wider view of their contributions than has been common in the past and to consider their role in relation to the long-term operation of the whole plant.