Details Report for:
17-2112.01 - Human Factors Engineers and Ergonomists
Design objects, facilities, and environments to optimize human well-being and overall system performance, applying theory, principles, and data regarding the relationship between humans and respective technology. Investigate and analyze characteristics of human behavior and performance as it relates to the use of technology.
This title represents an occupation for which data collection is currently underway.
Tasks | Tools & Technology | Education | Wages & Employment | Additional Information
Tasks Save Table (XLS/CSV)
- Design or evaluate human work systems, using human factors engineering and ergonomic principles to optimize usability, cost, quality, safety, or performance.
- Advocate for end users in collaboration with other professionals including engineers, designers, managers, or customers.
- Analyze complex systems to determine potential for further development, production, interoperability, compatibility, or usefulness in a particular area, such as aviation.
- Apply modeling or quantitative analysis to forecast events, such as human decisions or behaviors, the structure or processes of organizations, or the attitudes or actions of human groups.
- Assess the user-interface or usability characteristics of products.
- Collect data through direct observation of work activities or witnessing the conduct of tests.
- Conduct research to evaluate potential solutions related to changes in equipment design, procedures, manpower, personnel, or training.
- Design cognitive aids, such as procedural storyboards or decision support systems.
- Develop or implement research methodologies or statistical analysis plans to test and evaluate developmental prototypes used in new products or processes, such as cockpit designs, user workstations, or computerized human models.
- Develop or implement human performance research, investigation, or analysis protocols.
- Establish system operating or training requirements to ensure optimized human-machine interfaces.
- Inspect work sites to identify physical hazards.
- Integrate human factors requirements into operational hardware.
- Operate testing equipment, such as heat stress meters, octave band analyzers, motion analysis equipment, inclinometers, light meters, velometers, sling psychrometers, or colormetric detection tubes.
- Perform functional, task, or anthropometric analysis, using tools such as checklists, surveys, videotaping or force measurement.
- Perform statistical analyses, such as social network pattern analysis, network modeling, discrete event simulation, agent-based modeling, statistical natural language processing, computational sociology, mathematical optimization, or systems dynamics.
- Prepare reports or presentations summarizing results or conclusions of human factors engineering or ergonomics activities, such as testing, investigation, or validation.
- Provide technical support to clients through activities such as rearranging workplace fixtures to reduce physical hazards or discomfort or modifying task sequences to reduce cycle time.
- Recommend workplace changes to improve health and safety, using knowledge of potentially harmful factors, such as heavy loads or repetitive motions.
- Conduct interviews or surveys of users or customers to collect information on topics such as requirements, needs, fatigue, ergonomics, or interfaces.
- Estimate time or resource requirements for ergonomic or human factors research or development projects.
- Investigate theoretical or conceptual issues, such as the human design considerations of lunar landers or habitats.
- Provide human factors technical expertise on topics such as advanced user-interface technology development or the role of human users in automated or autonomous sub-systems in advanced vehicle systems.
- Review health, safety, accident, or worker compensation records to evaluate safety program effectiveness or to identify jobs with high incidents of injury.
- Train users in task techniques or ergonomic principles.
- Write, review, or comment on documents, such as proposals, test plans, or procedures.
Tools & Technology Save Table (XLS/CSV)
Tools used in this occupation:
| Digital camcorders or video cameras — Digital video cameras; Video goggles |
| Dynamometers — Hand dynamometers; Isokinetic dynamometers; Push/pull dynamometers |
| Electrocardiography EKG units — Electrocardiography EKG monitors |
| Electronic blood pressure units — Automated blood pressure measurement equipment |
| Flowmeters — Laser Doppler flowmeters |
| Oxygen gas analyzers — Oxygen analyzers |
| Physiological recorders — Electromagnetic motion analysis systems; Hand sensor gloves; Inclinometers; Lumbar motion monitors (see all 7 examples) |
| Psychrometers — Sling psychrometers |
| Sound measuring apparatus or decibel meter — Noise meters; Octave band analyzers |
| Treadmills — Exercise treadmills |
Technology used in this occupation:
| Analytical or scientific software — SAS software; The MathWorks MATLAB; Thought Technology BioGraph Infiniti; Triangle Research Collaborative Observational Coding System OCS Tools Software (see all 19 examples) |
| Development environment software — National Instruments LabVIEW |
| Graphical user interface development software — Altia software; Seeing Machines faceLAB |
| Graphics or photo imaging software — Adobe Systems Adobe Fireworks; Adobe Systems Adobe Flash; Adobe Systems Adobe Illustrator; Adobe Systems Adobe Photoshop software |
| Internet browser software — Apple Safari; Microsoft Internet Explorer *; Mozilla Firefox * |
| Object or component oriented development software — C++; Oracle Java * |
| Office suite software — Microsoft Office software |
| Spreadsheet software — Microsoft Excel |
| Video creation and editing software — TechSmith Camtasia |
| Web platform development software — Dynamic hypertext markup language DHTML; Hypertext markup language HTML; JavaScript; jQuery * (see all 6 examples) |
* Software developed by a government agency and/or distributed as freeware or shareware.
Education
This occupation may require a background in the following science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) educational disciplines:
Wages & Employment Trends
National
Median wages data collected from Industrial Engineers.
Employment data collected from Industrial Engineers.
Industry data collected from Industrial Engineers.
| Median wages (2010) | $36.59 hourly, $76,100 annual |
| Employment (2008) | 215,000 employees |
| Projected growth (2008-2018) | 
Faster than average (14% to 19%)
|
| Projected job openings (2008-2018) | 85,400 |
| Top industries (2008) | Manufacturing (70% employed in this sector)
|
State & National
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics 2010 wage data
and 2008-2018 employment projections
.
"Projected growth" represents the estimated change in total employment over the projections period (2008-2018). "Projected job openings" represent openings due to growth and replacement.
Sources of Additional Information
Disclaimer: Sources are listed to provide additional information on related jobs, specialties, and/or industries. Links to non-DOL Internet sites are provided for your convenience and do not constitute an endorsement.
- Engineers
. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor. Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition.