Human factors engineering standards development of DOE nuclear facilities

The US Department of Energy (DOE) is dedicated to ensuring safety and public confidence by conducting a thorough assessment and upgrade of its nuclear policies and procedures. To ensure that DOE field operations protect the health and safety of employees, the general public, and the environment, new operational procedures, standards, and guidelines are both required and forthcoming from DOE headquarters, NE-74. Part of this effort requires the establishment and integration of human factors engineering (HFE) design standards and analysis methods to reduce the probability of human error, human injury, and radiological exposure at DOE facilities. Human factors professionals work to ensure that technology safely and efficiently serves the needs and capabilities of the human user. The primary goal of human factors is to ensure compatibility and congruence between the people, equipment, tasks, procedures, and training in such a manner as to minimize human error and ensure optimal [open quotes]total systems[close quotes] performance and reliability.