Human Factors Research and Nuclear Safety

Abstract

This study was undertaken at the request of the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission to advise them as to the necessity for a new program of research into human factors of nuclear safety following the decision to terminate research in that area in 1985. The study showed in a particularly striking way how necessary a systems approach is to the application of human factors to complex systems. It is not possible to foresee the impact of human factors on complex human-machine systems without extending the definition of human factors to include disciplines such as social and organizational psychology, management sciences, and sociology. Following the presentation of the report to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission human factors research has again begun, and the report seems to have had a significant impact on the direction and scale of work supported by NRC in this area.