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 | Education | Wages & Employment
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, and the attitudes or actions of human groups.
- Assess the user-interface and 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 and decision support systems.
- Develop and implement research methodologies or statistical analysis plans to test and evaluate developmental prototypes used in new products and processes, such as cockpit designs, user workstations, or computerized human models.
- Develop or implement human performance research, investigation, or analysis protocols.
- Establish system operating and 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, and colormetric detection tubes.
- Perform functional, task or anthropometric analysis, using tools such as checklists, surveys, videotaping and 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, and systems dynamics.
- Prepare reports or presentations summarizing results or conclusions of human factors engineering or ergonomics activities, such as testing, investigation, and validation.
- Provide technical support to clients through activities such as rearranging workplace fixtures to reduce physical hazards or discomfort and 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 and repetitive motions.
- Conduct interviews or surveys of users or customers to collect information on topics such as requirements, needs, fatigue, ergonomics and interface.
- Estimate time and 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 and 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, and procedures.
Education
Education data collected from Industrial Engineers.
 Percentage of Respondents |
Education Level Attained |
|---|---|
74   |
Bachelor's degree or higher |
| 18 |
Some college |
| 8 |
High school or less |
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
survey of employees aged 25-44.
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.
| Category | Occupation Information |
|---|---|
| Median wages (2008) | $35.49 hourly, $73,820 annual |
| Employment (2006) | 201,000 employees |
| Projected growth (2006-2016) | 
Faster than average (14% to 20%)
|
| Projected need (2006-2016) | 89,000 additional employees |
State & National
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics 2008 wage data
and 2006-2016 employment projections
.
"Projected growth" represents the estimated change in total employment over the projections period (2006-2016). "Projected need" represents job openings due to growth and net replacement.