Integration of Human Factors Engineering and System Safety in the Development of Military Weapon Systems

Less than adequate integration of human factors engineering with system safety in the development of military weapon systems has been associated with design deficiencies in at least several fielded systems. These deficiencies have caused accidents resulting in fatalities and destroyed equipment valued at millions of dollars. Though human factors engineering and system safety have similar objectives and address many of the same issues during system development, cooperation and coordination between them is often lacking. A desired overlap between human factors engineering and system safety in military research and development is presented. Examples of design deficiencies and resultant accidents associated with inadequate cooperation and coordination between human factors engineering and system safety are discussed. Difficulties of integrating human factors engineering and system safety are described, and solutions for more effective integration are suggested.