Greg Placencia

A heuristic to capture multi-directional lateral tactile perception

Multi-directional tactile perception adds significant complexity when interpreting haptic experimental data. In perceiving tactile stimulus direction, we often observe a lack of one-to-one stimulus-response compatibility, mostly due to confounding sensations that reinforce and/or distort a primary stimulus. This study presents the development of a metric to capture multi-directional lateral tactile perception on a finger pad. Sixty-two subjects rated the direction and magnitude of lateral motion from a single probe moving in one of the eight possible directions. A heuristic based on a vector matrix was developed to capture and integrate the relative contribution of each subjects rated directional perception in x–y coordinates. This article explains the theoretical underpinnings and the justifications for this heuristic and highlights the usefulness of this approach for future haptic system designs.

Development of an Economical Haptic Stimulus Device

Human perception of haptic information is often complex and requires devices that are expensive and difficult to operate. We see increasing attention being given to finding simpler motions in haptic research to represent more complex haptic perception on the surface of the skin. Our research has indicated that lateral motions in multiple directions may provide sufficiently useful perception for information transfer. We present a design for an economical haptic stimulation device using off-the-shelf parts that are relatively easy to obtain and assemble. Our design was configured for lateral motion, but can be modified to deliver a variety of haptic stimulations.

Reviewing the Use of Proactive Data Analysis in Developing Rail Safety Culture

While experience is often the best teacher, learning from precursors is much less painful. The aviation and health care industries have greatly benefited from proactively analyzing and developing measures to address sentinel events and learning from various data sources. Such reflective learning is typical of High Reliability Organizations (HROs) with strong learning cultures. As technology like Positive Train Control increasingly integrates into the rail industry, the resulting data they inevitably produce can provide a wealth of knowledge that can greatly improve safety if the data streams are well managed and not blindly mined. For example, simulators generate data while locomotive engineers use them. During training, such data can indicate weak points where the engineer can improve. Examining such data over multiple engineers can establish general areas of strengths and weaknesses among trainees where instructors can place more or less focus and develop better overall training options. Such data could potentially be used to improve cab design and establish how trains and cab care would operate along a given rail line. This paper will explore the use of data streams from various sources, including those currently used like injury reports, emerging ones like simulation training evaluations and data logs to develop better safety cultures within the rail industry.Copyright

A Healthcare Provider Model to Integrate Human Factors and Patient Safety in Family Home Healthcare Settings

Healthcare services provided in U.S. is offered through a fragmented system that in majority of cases cannot provide patient population with access to care, high quality of care, or coordinated care, and cannot guarantee the safety of patients. To overcome these shortcomings there is a need to create a new model of care. This study suggests a systematic approach to implement an innovative package of system elements including patient safety interventions, high reliability principles, and care coordination which illustrates the role of human factors in improving health outcomes of our population, enhance their health status, and enrich their overall well-being. Human health in full spectrum is a balance between medical, oral, physical, and mental/behavioral health. In this study all four elements of health services are provided to patients and their health outcomes have been studied in conjunction with the health status of their family members. This research aims to assess and analyze the impact of the addition of the aforementioned system elements in relation with human factors on populations overall health status.

Utilization of Participatory Ergonomics and Socio-Technical Models to Identify the Risk Factors of Invasive Medical Technologies in Non-Clinical Environments

In 2010 ~12 million Americans received home health care or care in a non-clinical environment due to the growing cost and capacity constraints of hospital health care. The purpose of this research study is to initiate an effort to understand the socio-technological risk factors associated with invasive medical therapies in non-clinical environments and develop mitigation strategies for non-clinical caregivers. Participatory Ergonomics is utilized to facilitate the discovery of cognitive, physical and macro-ergonomic risk factors associated with invasive medical technology in non-clinical environments to address the socio- psychological, technological and organizational perspectives of this study. This research study will result in a patient safely template and quality of care model for health systems engineering that involves invasive medical technologies in non-clinical environments, which can be applied to pediatric and adult populations globally.

Psychological and Cultural Components Affecting Rail Worker Culture: A Literature Review

Developing and maintaining a healthy work environment is an important consideration to the rail industry. Several theories have been advanced to examine, understand, and influence how workers function and interact within their working environments. These include motivational theories such as Taylor’s Theory of Scientific Management and Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, models of moral develop such as developed by Kohlberg and Gilligan, theories of personality types like Myers–Brigg and Keirsey, and the theory of cultural dimensions developed by Hofstede. Positive work environments can contribute to safe and efficient operations, while negative work environments almost inevitably degrade performance and increase the potential for injury and accidents. Therefore understanding and managing these elements properly can greatly contribute to better organizational outcomes. This paper will then examine the underlying role of human behavior as determined by these theories appear to have played in 5 incidents at Metro–North Railroad in 2013–2014.Copyright

Technology and High Reliability Organizations in Railroad Operations Safety: A Case Study of Metrolink / SCRRA and Positive Train Control (PTC) Implementation

High-risk organizations operate technologies such as in rail transportation, aviation, or nuclear power, where failure/breakdown can initiate low-probability, high consequence events. The concept of High-Reliability Organizations (HROs) was developed to avoid or mitigate such events through proper management despite the inherent risk. The September 12, 2008, Chatsworth accident is an example of such events that HROs are designed to prevent. In that case a Metrolink commuter train and Union Pacific freight train collided when the Metrolink engineer failed to recognize and react to a stop signal as a result of texting, causing 25 deaths and 135 injuries. This incident directly resulted in the Railroad Safety Improvement Act of 2008, which mandated Positive Train Control (PTC) implementation on all Class 1 rail carriers, as well as intercity / commuter rail passenger transporters. Over the past 2 years, the USC team has observed PTC implementation at the Southern California Regional Rail Authority (SCRRA) / Metrolink. This paper examines how PTC can be an integral part in developing and promoting HRO principles within the rail industry based on those observations.Copyright