Using Human Performance Models for Emergency Planning
Abstract
Recent events have led to an increased awareness of the importance of effective crises response. IMPRINT Pro is a human performance modeling software package developed by the U.S. Army Research Laboratory that quantifies the effects of various stressors on personnel performance. This paper specifically describes modeling emergency operations requiring the use of protective clothing. The effects of the protective clothing on various task types including fine motor, gross motor, visual, cognitive and communication in terms of response time and accuracy is addressed. An effective model is one which can predict the decrement in performance of each of the task types for various stressors, including wearing protective clothing. Such models provide those in emergency management with a realistic and accurate interpretation of various scenarios. The results of such a model can be used for process evaluation, what-if analyses, and training with the ultimate goal of improving crisis response teams' performance. Level A suits are maximum protection chemical suits worn by trained individuals when dealing with unknown substances threats. For this research, members of a highly specialized Civil Support Team are given standardized tasks, to be performed while in the Level A suit. The decrement in performance when in the suit is measured. This data is then translated into a regression model and the formulae developed will be incorporated into IMPRINT Pro, such that it will serve as a useful new parameter that can be made available when evolving models in future crises response scenarios.
Recommended Citation
Y. L. Simon et al., "Using Human Performance Models for Emergency Planning," Proceedings of the 30th Annual National Conference of the American Society for Engineering Management (2009, Springfield, MO), pp. 264 - 269, American Society for Engineering Management (ASEM), Oct 2009.
Meeting Name
30th Annual National Conference of the American Society for Engineering Management (2009: Oct. 14-17, Springfield, MO)
Department(s)
Engineering Management and Systems Engineering
Second Department
Psychological Science
Third Department
Business and Information Technology
Keywords and Phrases
Crisis management; Human performance modeling; IMPRINT pro; Level A chemical suits; Personal protective equipment; Regression analysis; Risk management; Protective clothing
International Standard Book Number (ISBN)
978-1617381058
Document Type
Article - Conference proceedings
Document Version
Citation
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Rights
© 2009 American Society for Engineering Management, All rights reserved.
Publication Date
17 Oct 2009
