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Human Factors Engineers and Ergonomists - 17-2112.01

O*NET-SOC Description

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.

Sample of Reported Job Titles

  • Certified Professional Ergonomist
  • Cognitive Engineer
  • Consulting Ergonomist
  • Ergonomic Consultant
  • Ergonomics Consultant
  • Ergonomics Technical Advisor
  • Ergonomist
  • Human Factors Advisor
  • Human Factors Engineer
  • Occupational Ergonomist

SOC Occupation Groups

17-0000 Architecture and Engineering Occupations
17-2000 Engineers
17-2110 Industrial Engineers, Including Health and Safety
17-2112.00 Industrial Engineers
17-2112.01 Human Factors Engineers and Ergonomists

Related Occupations

Tasks

  • 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 interviews or surveys of users or customers to collect information on topics, such as requirements, needs, fatigue, ergonomics, or interfaces.
  • 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.
  • Design or evaluate human work systems, using human factors engineering and ergonomic principles to optimize usability, cost, quality, safety, or performance.
  • Develop or implement human performance research, investigation, or analysis protocols.
  • 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.
  • Establish system operating or training requirements to ensure optimized human-machine interfaces.
  • Estimate time or resource requirements for ergonomic or human factors research or development projects.
  • Inspect work sites to identify physical hazards.
  • Integrate human factors requirements into operational hardware.
  • Investigate theoretical or conceptual issues, such as the human design considerations of lunar landers or habitats.
  • Operate testing equipment, such as heat stress meters, octave band analyzers, motion analysis equipment, inclinometers, light meters, thermoanemometers, sling psychrometers, or colorimetric 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 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.
  • 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.
  • Review health, safety, accident, or worker compensation records to evaluate safety program effectiveness or to identify jobs with high incidence of injury.
  • Train users in task techniques or ergonomic principles.
  • Write, review, or comment on documents, such as proposals, test plans, or procedures.

Detailed Work Activities

  • Advise others on health and safety issues.
  • Analyze operational data to evaluate operations, processes or products.
  • Assess product or process usefulness.
  • Confer with technical personnel to prepare designs or operational plans.
  • Create models of engineering designs or methods.
  • Determine operational criteria or specifications.
  • Develop technical methods or processes.
  • Devise research or testing protocols.
  • Document design or operational test results.
  • Estimate technical or resource requirements for development or production projects.
  • Estimate time requirements for development or production projects.
  • Inspect facilities or sites to determine if they meet specifications or standards.
  • Investigate safety of work environment.
  • Prepare procedural documents.
  • Prepare proposal documents.
  • Recommend technical design or process changes to improve efficiency, quality, or performance.
  • Research human performance or health factors related to engineering or design activities.
  • Test performance of electrical, electronic, mechanical, or integrated systems or equipment.
  • Train personnel on proper operational procedures.

Military Crosswalk Titles

  • Aerospace Experimental Psychologist (Navy - Commissioned Officer only)
  • Aerospace Physiologist (Air Force - Commissioned Officer only)
  • Aerospace Physiologist (Navy - Commissioned Officer only)
  • Aircrew Flight Equipment (Air Force - Enlisted)
  • Aircrew Flight Equipment Apprentice (Air Force - Enlisted)
  • Aircrew Flight Equipment Apprentice, Ejection Seat Aircraft (Air Force - Enlisted)
  • Aircrew Flight Equipment Apprentice, Non-Ejection Seat Aircraft (Air Force - Enlisted)
  • Aircrew Flight Equipment Craftsman (Air Force - Enlisted)
  • Aircrew Flight Equipment Craftsman, Ejection Seat Aircraft (Air Force - Enlisted)
  • Aircrew Flight Equipment Craftsman, Non-Ejection Seat Aircraft (Air Force - Enlisted)
  • Aircrew Flight Equipment Helper (Air Force - Enlisted)
  • Aircrew Flight Equipment Helper, Ejection Seat Aircraft (Air Force - Enlisted)
  • Aircrew Flight Equipment Helper, Non-Ejection Seat Aircraft (Air Force - Enlisted)
  • Aircrew Flight Equipment Journeyman (Air Force - Enlisted)
  • Aircrew Flight Equipment Journeyman, Ejection Seat Aircraft (Air Force - Enlisted)
  • Aircrew Flight Equipment Journeyman, Non-Ejection Seat Aircraft (Air Force - Enlisted)
  • Aircrew Flight Equipment Superintendent (Air Force - Enlisted)
  • Developmental Engineer (Air Force - Commissioned Officer only)
  • Developmental Engineer, ABM (Air Force - Commissioned Officer only)
  • Developmental Engineer, Aeronautical (Air Force - Commissioned Officer only)
  • Developmental Engineer, Airlift (Air Force - Commissioned Officer only)
  • Developmental Engineer, Astronautical (Air Force - Commissioned Officer only)
  • Developmental Engineer, Bomber (Air Force - Commissioned Officer only)
  • Developmental Engineer, C2ISREW (Air Force - Commissioned Officer only)
  • Developmental Engineer, Computer Systems (Air Force - Commissioned Officer only)
  • Developmental Engineer, Electrical/Electronic (Air Force - Commissioned Officer only)
  • Developmental Engineer, Fighter (Air Force - Commissioned Officer only)
  • Developmental Engineer, Flight Test (Air Force - Commissioned Officer only)
  • Developmental Engineer, General (Air Force - Commissioned Officer only)
  • Developmental Engineer, Helicopter or EWO (Air Force - Commissioned Officer only)
  • Developmental Engineer, Mechanical (Air Force - Commissioned Officer only)
  • Developmental Engineer, Project (Air Force - Commissioned Officer only)
  • Developmental Engineer, RPA (Air Force - Commissioned Officer only)
  • Developmental Engineer, Special Operations (Air Force - Commissioned Officer only)
  • Developmental Engineer, Systems/Industrial/Human Factors (Air Force - Commissioned Officer only)
  • Developmental Engineer, Tanker (Air Force - Commissioned Officer only)
  • Developmental Engineer, Trainer (Air Force - Commissioned Officer only)
  • Operations Research/Systems Analysis (Army - Commissioned Officer only)
  • Research Psychologist (Navy - Commissioned Officer only)
  • Research Psychology (Army - Commissioned Officer only)
  • Trained Operations Research/System Analysis (ORSA) (Army - Commissioned Officer only)

Apprenticeship Crosswalk Titles

No information available.

DOT Crosswalk Titles

  • Psychologist, Engineering