Modeling an integrated health, safety and ergonomics management system: application to power plants.

BACKGROUND This study presents a framework for development of integrated health, safety and ergonomic (HSE) in complex critical systems. Total ergonomics model considers conventional ergonomics factors as well as management and organizational factors. METHODS Control room operation and maintenance department of a thermal power plant was chosen as the case of our study. To achieve the above objectives, an integrated approach based on total ergonomics factors was developed. Second, it was applied to the thermal power plant and the advantages of total ergonomics approach were discussed. Third, the impacts of total ergonomics factors on local factors were examined through non-parametric statistical analysis. Moreover, the importance and impacts of total ergonomics factors were shown through statistical tests. RESULTS It is shown that total ergonomics model is much more beneficial than conventional approach. It should be noted that the traditional ergonomics methodology is not capable of locating the findings of total ergonomics model. CONCLUSION The distinguished aspect of this study is the employment of a total system approach based on integration of the conventional ergonomics factors with HSE factors.