Recreation,Technology,and System Safety

Abstract

A model of a man-machine-environment complex is presented in which it is shown that each man-machine system defines for itself an operational environment from within the ecosphere. It is pointed out that this model has application to all design for human use, and to operation of man-machine systems. Its specific application to recreation is shown in relation to three areas—considerations of system safety in recreation; responsibilities and liabilities of manufacturers of recreational equipment; and responsibilities of researchers, human factors engineers, and those who supply manufacturers with operational design data. It is argued that safety management requires an epidemiological rather than a therapeutic or piecemeal approach, and that until safety is considered systematically as an objective in the design and operation of a man-machine-environment complex, recreational or otherwise, we cannot attain the optimal.