In this column, William F Moroney reports on human factors/ergonomics issues that have appeared in the press. Your contributions are invited. Please send electronic copy with references to wmoroney1@udayton.edu.
Boeing’s safety status. Boeing’s outgoing CEO faced harsh grilling on their manufacturing/quality control safety program by members of Congress https://bit.ly/3KS5HNv. Concerns were also raised that several whistleblowers, who were or are Boeing employees, had faced retaliation. The fuselages for the 737 are assembled at Spirit AeroSystems, located in Wichita, Kansas, https://bit.ly/4be0E4I. Safety concerns became public knowledge after the in-flight loss of a door plug panel door on a Boeing 737 Max, March 29, 2024, article in the New York Times described it as “Shortcuts everywhere, How Boeing favored speed over quality.” This article provides a history of Boeing’s safety problems and describes mechanics who signed off on their own work or went “safety inspector shopping” to get their work approved (https://bit.ly/4bkpKPc). At the Senate commerce committee hearings in April, an independent review panel described the extent to which Boeing “safety and management processes promote or foster a safety culture …” Panel members included Javier de Luis, an aeronautics expert at MIT; Tracy Dillinger, a NASA expert on safety culture; and Najmedin Meshkati, HFES Fellow and expert on aviation safety. In their 50-page report (https://bit.ly/3xtKdDr), they concluded that (1) Boeing’s Safety Management Systems (SMS) “were not structured in such a way that all employees understood their role in the company’s SMS.” (2) While Boeing’s management changes decreased opportunities for interference in retaliation against employees, it still allowed opportunities for retaliation in the areas of salary and furlough ranking. (3) Inadequate human factors considerations were described as was a lack of pilot input in aircraft design and operation. During the hearing, de Luis summarized the problem as the employees “They hear, safety is our No. 1 priority, but what they see is that that’s only true as long as your production milestones are met, and at that point, it’s push out the door as fast you can” (https://bit.ly/3RFCc5n; see also https://bit.ly/4eCPxoA). Boeing and Spirit Aerospace (which manufactures the fuselages) reported that they are in the process of reintegration and changing their focus from running a business to running a factory where they can “stay focused on safety and quality and stability.” https://bit.ly/4be0E4I.
Tesla issues new software “recall” to change the warning icon sizes. By Cristain Agatiem Autoevolution, February 2, 2024. https://bit.ly/3L2gpkg. The National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration (NHTSA) determined that 16 warning icons used by Tesla did not meet the symbol/text size requirement for viewing. The size of most of the icons was increased by approximately 10%. However, the parking brake symbol was replaced with the text “Park,” the ABS symbol was replaced with the text ABS, and the braking system symbol was replaced with the text “Brake.” All were sized to comply with NHTSA requirements. To view a figure of the original and changed icons, click on the above link. While this change was made to USA vehicles, vehicles in Canada have retained the icon but increased the size (https://bit.ly/4eyX8ER). It should be mentioned that Tesla objected to NHTSA’s use of the word “recall” since the changes were made by software update and the vehicles do not need to be taken to the dealership.
What the new FAA funding legislation says about aircraft seat sizes. By Zach Wichter. USA Today, May 24, 2024. https://bit.ly/3XD0DUH. Seat size, more specifically the spacing between seats, is not only a comfort factor but a major factor in determining egress rate. Current FAA regulations stipulate that passengers must be able to evacuate an aircraft with half the exit doors blocked in 90 seconds or less. Currently, that is demonstrated using computer simulations; however, members of Congress have challenged the models, because they utilize data which does not include “senior citizens, minors, or disabled participants.” The funding requires the FAA to reevaluate evacuation standards, including “studying the impacts of passenger age, height and weight, disability status, speech difficulties, language barriers, baggage, seat size, and configuration, and service animals, among other factors.”
Delta plane catches fire after landing in Seattle. On May 6, 2024, at the Seattle–Tacoma Airport, an Airbus 321 was evacuated when a fire broke out in the nose after the aircraft stopped at the arrival gate. These videos (https://bit.ly/3RHMYb1, https://bit.ly/3RHE1yC, https://bit.ly/4eCFiRh) show passengers evacuating the aircraft as a small fire flares up in the forward landing gear wheel well. The readers’ comments on these videos are insightful. The evacuation took more than 90 seconds and was probably hampered by passengers evacuating and carrying luggage. The videos also show passengers wandering around the hazardous flight ramp area after their successful egress. There were 189 passengers and six crew onboard and fortunately no one was hurt. https://bit.ly/3KX9JEk. Here is a video on how all passengers aboard a Japan Airlines A350 successfully evacuated through three exits during the major fuel fire resulting from the Japanese Coast Guard aircraft runway incursion (https://bit.ly/3VFu4TD). It appears that the passengers followed instructions and did not carry their in-flight luggage.
Tim Cook praising the ergonomics of Apple Magic Mouse is comedy gold for tech nerds. Puvri Khemani. News18, June 13, 2024. https://bit.ly/3xzMLjt. In an interview, Tim Cook says getting the ergonomics of the Apple Magic mouse “…well Done was the key.” Gems among the 1800+ comments included: “Ergonomics … .and magic mouse … in the same sentence?” quipped one observer. Another remarked, “If he believes for one second, there’s any ergonomics with that mouse. It’s actually deeply troubling for the future of Apple.”
AI-powered headphones can tune into a single voice in a crowd: Noise cancelling Tech just got more targeted. By Mac DeGeurin, Popular Science. May 24, 2024. https://bit.ly/4eAKCVj. “Headphone wearers simply gaze directly at the intended speaker’s face and let AI systems capture sound signals filled with their unique speech traits. The end result: A reality where headphone wearers can hold sustained conversations with an individual with noise canceling technology still equipped.” Also https://bit.ly/3REqRSU.
ADDITIONAL LINKS
Designing airport bathrooms
https://bit.ly/4czJ4ZT
DEI and MSD reduction
https://bit.ly/3zfN4AB
Amazon’s high injury rate:
https://bit.ly/3xyOC85
Why are American drivers so deadly? https://bit.ly/4cbtm7q; https://bit.ly/4eDbDHO; https://bit.ly/3VVXGx9; https://bit.ly/3XwhbxE
Note: Some of the above links may require a password to access the site.
