HUMAN FACTORS TOOL USE AMONG SWEDISH ERGONOMISTS

Paper in proceeding, 2007

This paper reports on a preliminary analysis of interviews conducted with Swedish ergonomists (SE). The study is using the theme of ‘tools’ to explore how ergonomists work on a daily basis. It was found that SEs often practice ergonomics as part of a ‘treatment’ process. Most SEs use their professional judgement when assessing and complement this with checklists, pictures and questionnaires. More sophisticated quantitative tools are less used. SEs who are internal employees, rather than external service providers, seem to be more able to participate in new design activities and to engage in follow-up on changes. SE’s ‘patient’ focus may pose a challenge to participating in design processes where stakeholders tend to have a ‘systems’ focus. This research is currently being extended to include Canadian ergonomists as well as industrial engineers in both countries.