John R Wilson - Böcker

The rail human factors/ergonomics community has grown quickly and extensively, and there is much increased recognition of the vital importance of ergonomics/human factors by rail infrastructure owners, rail operating companies, system developers, regulators and national and trans-national government. This book, the third on rail human factors, is drawn from papers presented at the Lille 3rd International Conference on Rail Human Factors. The contributions cover the range of human and organisational issues on the railway, from driving to signalling and control to maintenance and engineering work, to passengers and security issues such as trespass, and address improvements in safety, reliability, use of capacity, efficiency and quality. The book represents the best of recent work in rail human factors, and starts to define the framework for the next few years. As well as the human factors areas listed above, the conference and thus the book are notable for sessions on simulation in rail human factors and on human factors in metro design and operation. The book also reflects the increased attention being paid to, and developments in, understanding all aspects of rail stakeholders’ behaviour, and also the contribution of ergonomics/human factors to innovative network control systems which will enhance reliability, safety and use of capacity. The book will be of interest to a number of groups: those working in the rail sector from a human factors point of view; the larger rail industry and related bodies generally; and in terms of transferrable knowledge to ergonomists and human factors specialists working in other industries.

Many organizations worldwide are currently exploring the potential gains to be made from working with virtual teams. Although many different things are meant by use of 'virtual' (and indeed by 'teams'), usually it denotes groups of people with common purpose and goals working in different locations and often different time zones; they will be interconnected via a variety of telecommunications networks, perhaps including the Internet and intranet, video conferencing, shared white boards, as well as telephone, mail and e-mail. For organizations implementing such virtual teams there is a great need for guidance, in terms of the organizational structure and support which needs to be put in place. This book offers a practical guide to developing virtual teams, providing both an overview of what is involved and also a clear simple framework around which organizations can build their own implementation process. Although the different support technologies are discussed (at a generic level), the thrust of the book is on the organizational and human factors issues which must be addressed to make virtual teams a success. It contains detailed case studies to show how virtual teams work and where they can go wrong.

Understanding how to make the best of human skills and knowledge is essential in the design of technology and jobs, particularly where these involve decision-making and uncertainty. Recent developments have been made in naturalistic decision-making, distributed cognition and situational awareness, particularly with respect to aviation, transport and strategic planning, the nuclear industry and other high-risk industries.Despite the integration of computer-based support systems in production scheduling in recent years, the reality is that most enterprises consist of reactive re-scheduling, involving a high degree of human involvement. It is often with the insight, knowledge and skills of people that scheduling skills can function with any degree of success.Human Performance in Planning and Scheduling covers many industries, including clothing, steel, machine tools, paper/board, and the automobile industry. Using international case studies from various manufacturing industries, they highlight the fact that the human scheduler is a pivotal element in the scheduling process. Each section of the book includes an introduction with an overview of the material to follow, clearly identifying themes, discussion points and highlights inter-connections between the authors' work.

Following on from 2005's Rail Human Factors: Supporting the Integrated Railway, this book brings together an even broader range of academics and practitioners from around the world to share their expertise and experience on rail human factors. The content is both comprehensive and cutting-edge, featuring more than 55 chapters addressing the following topics: ¢ Passengers and public ¢ Driver performance and workload ¢ Driving and cognition ¢ Train cab and interfaces: simulation and design ¢ Routes, signage, signals and drivability ¢ Signalling and control of the railway ¢ Planning for the railway ¢ Engineering work and maintenance ¢ Level crossings ¢ Accidents and safety ¢ Human error and human reliability ¢ SPADs: signals passed at danger ¢ Human factors integration and standards ¢ Impairments to performance ¢ Staff competencies and training. People and Rail Systems: Human Factors at the Heart of the Railway will be invaluable for all those concerned with making railways safer, more reliable, of higher quality and more efficient. It will be essential reading for policy-makers, researchers and industry around the world.

This book is based on an international symposium on the Ergonomics of Working Postures, at Zadar. It explores fairly specific areas of occupational ergonomics with the purpose of drawing together major current trends.

Ecologists, land managers and policymakers continue to search for the most effective ways to manage biological invasions. An emerging lesson is that proactive management can limit negative impacts, reduce risks and save money. This book explores how to detect and respond to alien plant incursions, summarising the most current literature, providing practical recommendations and reviewing the conditions and processes necessary to achieve prevention, eradication and containment. Chapter topics include assessing invasiveness and the impact of alien plants, how to improve surveillance efforts, how to make timely management decisions, and how legislation and strategic planning can support management. Each chapter includes text boxes written by international experts that discuss topical issues such as spatial predictive modelling, costing invasions, biosecurity, biofuels, and dealing with conflict species.

Ecologists, land managers and policymakers continue to search for the most effective ways to manage biological invasions. An emerging lesson is that proactive management can limit negative impacts, reduce risks and save money. This book explores how to detect and respond to alien plant incursions, summarising the most current literature, providing practical recommendations and reviewing the conditions and processes necessary to achieve prevention, eradication and containment. Chapter topics include assessing invasiveness and the impact of alien plants, how to improve surveillance efforts, how to make timely management decisions, and how legislation and strategic planning can support management. Each chapter includes text boxes written by international experts that discuss topical issues such as spatial predictive modelling, costing invasions, biosecurity, biofuels, and dealing with conflict species.

Many organizations worldwide are currently exploring the potential gains to be made from working with virtual teams. Although many different things are meant by use of 'virtual' (and indeed by 'teams'), usually it denotes groups of people with common purpose and goals working in different locations and often different time zones; they will be interconnected via a variety of telecommunications networks, perhaps including the Internet and intranet, video conferencing, shared white boards, as well as telephone, mail and e-mail. For organizations implementing such virtual teams there is a great need for guidance, in terms of the organizational structure and support which needs to be put in place. This book offers a practical guide to developing virtual teams, providing both an overview of what is involved and also a clear simple framework around which organizations can build their own implementation process. Although the different support technologies are discussed (at a generic level), the thrust of the book is on the organizational and human factors issues which must be addressed to make virtual teams a success. It contains detailed case studies to show how virtual teams work and where they can go wrong.

The rail human factors/ergonomics community has grown quickly and extensively, and there is much increased recognition of the vital importance of ergonomics/human factors by rail infrastructure owners, rail operating companies, system developers, regulators and national and trans-national government. This book, the third on rail human factors, is drawn from papers presented at the Lille 3rd International Conference on Rail Human Factors. The contributions cover the range of human and organisational issues on the railway, from driving to signalling and control to maintenance and engineering work, to passengers and security issues such as trespass, and address improvements in safety, reliability, use of capacity, efficiency and quality. The book represents the best of recent work in rail human factors, and starts to define the framework for the next few years. As well as the human factors areas listed above, the conference and thus the book are notable for sessions on simulation in rail human factors and on human factors in metro design and operation. The book also reflects the increased attention being paid to, and developments in, understanding all aspects of rail stakeholders behaviour, and also the contribution of ergonomics/human factors to innovative network control systems which will enhance reliability, safety and use of capacity. The book will be of interest to a number of groups: those working in the rail sector from a human factors point of view; the larger rail industry and related bodies generally; and in terms of transferrable knowledge to ergonomists and human factors specialists working in other industries.

Written by experts with real-world experience in applying ergonomics methodology in a range of contexts, Evaluation of Human Work, Fourth Edition explores ergonomics and human factors from a "doing it" perspective. More than a cookbook of ergonomics methods, the book encourages students to think about which methods they should apply, when, and why. Now in its fourth edition, the editors have again brought together a team of world-renowned experts and created a forum for them to discuss and debate their most valued approaches.See What’s New in the Fourth Edition: Significant change of authorship and content in each chapterFive new chapters covering inclusive design, situation awareness, neuroergonomics, ergonomics and quality, and standards in ergonomics design and evaluationDiscussion of the idea of reflective practice and Ergonomics/Human FactorsExamination of the systems perspective now prevalent in the fieldCoverage of new tools and the relationship between these physiologically measured parameters and theoretical concepts such as workload, fatigue, stress, or effortIn addition to being a foundational text, the book is an authoritative reference for practising ergonomists. Completely revised and updated, this fourth edition retains the features that have made the book a perennial favorite. After reading each chapter you will feel as though you understand the context of how to practise ergonomics and what aspects of method selection and implementation you should consider. The book provides a guide to the benefits ergonomics and human factors can offer industry, business, or human service professionals.

This open access volume presents a comprehensive account of all aspects of biological invasions in South Africa, where research has been conducted over more than three decades, and where bold initiatives have been implemented in attempts to control invasions and to reduce their ecological, economic and social effects.

This open access volume presents a comprehensive account of all aspects of biological invasions in South Africa, where research has been conducted over more than three decades, and where bold initiatives have been implemented in attempts to control invasions and to reduce their ecological, economic and social effects.

Human and organizational factors have a substantial impact on the performance of planning and scheduling processes. Despite widespread and advanced decision support systems, human decision makers are still crucial to improve the operational performance in manufacturing industries. In this text, the state of the art in this area is discussed by experts from a wide variety of engineering and social science disciplines. Moreover, recent results from collaborative studies and a number of field cases are presented. The text is targeted at researchers and graduate students, but is also particularly useful for managers, consultants, and system developers to better understand how human performance can be advanced.