Episodes

We breathe it every day and are very aware of the larger issues of air pollution and the future effect on humanity. But what about the day to day, what does it do to the performance of the human body and how should we be measuring it? Professor Paul Lewis, an expert who not only lectures at Swansea University but also advises the Welsh Government on Air pollution gives us an insight into the main issues we should be concerned about, ranging from the actual particulates to the modelling data that...

When this was recorded, it was the 1st birthday of this podcast, so Happy Birthday to us. There are precious few HF tools that are made with the input of HF practitioners who use them, but VAPS has been the mainstay of a number of my projects that rely on the ability to design an interface, implement it and for the embedded output to reflect what you started with. Matt Jackson has worked with Presagis for most of his career, but in that time, he has been embedded with clients to help them delive...

Human Factors is applied to many domains, but perhaps one of the most challenging is the Space environment due to the very nature that it is not of this world. That, coupled with a challenge of a new space race, firstly with the mission to Mars, but also the commercialisation of the sector, makes working there a very exciting place. But it also helps to have the right people doing the right job. In this episode, I interview 3 HF Practitioners from Johnson Space Centre (JSC) who are largely focus...

One of the areas where Human Factors is getting more traction is within the Healthcare sector. It is still a slow burner though with lots more work to be done, and this is getting more urgent as new technologies are available to make procedures and processes better and potentially support more effective patient outcomes. Dr Mark Sujan has taken this challenge head on by launching the Artificial Intelligence and Digital Health Special Interest Group with the CIEHF. In this episode, we find out mo...

Many practitioners believe that working on Trials and Assessments, where equipment and systems that have been designed and developed are tested with users, are some of the most enjoyable parts of being involved in Human Factors. You get to see kit actually being used and getting feedback, both positive and negative, and discussing with them what can be done to improve the product. Vicki Wall is a Fellow of the CIEHF, and has over 20 years experience of being a practitioner, primarily in the defe...

Steve Harmer is the Human Factors capability lead for BMT Defence and Security. He was the winner of the "H Rowbotham Award for Outstanding Contribution to HFI" in 2015, and possibly his most rewarding role was being Barry's first line manager when they worked at BAE Systems in 2004......(Steve may disagree...) Whilst starting with an Engineering Degree, we learn why he moved to Human Factors, and has never looked back. He is now the co-chair of the new CIEHF Defence Sector Group and we find out...

This podcast is more of a case study, looking at the phenomenon that is the "Frontline 3D Farms" where Rob Venus and Dr Dimitris Pletsas reacted to the drastic need for PPE to make it to the NHS Frontline. In discussion with both of them, we find out that this could just be the start of something disruptive and a game changer when it comes to collaboration between Community, Government, Industry and Academia. The Farms have produced over 14,000 face masks, from a standing start, through a commun...

Amanda Kirby is a systems engineer and the research director of K Sharp. Whilst somewhat of a captive interviewee, she details her career path, and what drove her to engage in a traditionally male dominated workspace. We then discuss how the internet has influenced the lockdown, with both the positive use of various tools that have enabled community activity, and the negatives of conspiracy theories and cyber crime. Amanda's Linkedin is here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-kirby-2a5ba32/

Many of us have been working at home for a week or so now, and perhaps the novelty is starting to wear off. In the coming weeks is when we will be at most risk of damaging ourselves, because we are "making do" at our dining table, bedroom or home office. To help steer us in the right direction, Kirsty Angerer, The Travelling Ergonomist took some time out to share with us some top tips, with a look at behaviours and culture as much as the specifics. More advice can be found from Kirsty on her web...

Meeting the man with the mission of navigating the Chartered Institute of Ergonomics and Human Factors through the next five years. Dr Noorzaman Rashid is the recently appointed Chief Executive and has a mission to take the Institute through the next part of its journey. Noorzaman took some time to sit down with Barry prior to one of the Council meetings to discuss his background, his drive and motivation as well as an overview of the strategy for the next 5 years. Noorzaman can be found on link...

Susan Buckle is the Education and Outreach Manager at the UK Space Agency. This is on the back of an enviable career at the European Space Agency. In this interview she talks about the role of Human Factors in astronaut training, working with Tim Peake, and using Space as a motivation to get more young people into STEM and STEAM subjects. Susan's LinkedIn profile is here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/susanbuckle1

This episode looks at the evolution of Automation and in particular some of the things we should be considering from the Human Factors Viewpoint. Dr Malcolm Cook joined me during his lunch-break to explore the perils and potential of Autonomy. To contact Malcolm about the topics he has talked about, his LinkedIn Profile is here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-malcolm-cook-58424624

This podcast is timed to coincide with the start of the CPD year and brings together two experts in CPD who are also involved with the CPD assessment process for the CIEHF. Martin Thody returns to bring his experience and is joined by Julia Clarke and brings her experience from the health sector where good quality CPD is not only a nice to have but a necessity for progression. This podcast is not the official opinion of the CIEHF and is only the opinion of the participants. Julia mentions Gibbs ...

This episode looks at the issues surrounding the application of Human Factors in the Nuclear Industry. Barry talks with Grant Hudson, the Head of Human Factors at Cavendish Nuclear. He finds out more about Grants career, ambitions as well as looking in detail at the challenges of delivering HF in the Civil Nuclear environment. Most interestingly we discover what he wants to do with a Washing Machine. Grants Linkedin profile : https://www.linkedin.com/in/grantpublic1