Use of Cautions and Warnings within International Space Station Procedures: When Too Much Information Becomes Risky

Abstract

Working on the International Space Station (ISS) has uncovered several challenges in the prevention of human error and desensitization to hazard advisories. Although human-centered design strives to eliminate accidents, there are still many unknowns in long term space habitation. Specifically, during the last fourteen ISS Expeditions, the crew has indicated that cautions and warnings (C&Ws) were used inappropriately within procedures. Human factors and safety personnel reviewed all comments made during ISS debriefs and a sample set of procedures. Findings included: no human factors input in procedure development, inconsistencies in procedure development, unclear C&W standards, and overuse and misuse of C&Ws throughout procedures. A usability evaluation was conducted to assess C&W intuitiveness for a specific set of C&Ws: Touch Temperature, Shock, Electrostatic Discharge, Rack Rotation, and Foreign Object Debris. This work focuses on the review findings, usability evaluation results, recommendations to NASA, final implementation and application to industry.