ABSTRACT
As well as a scientic eld and profession, human factors is also a way of looking at the world which has as its focus the capabilities, limitations, motivations, behaviours, and preferences of people. The aim is to maximise efciency, effectiveness, quality, comfort, safety, and health by ensuring that systems are designed in such a way that the interactions are consistent with people’s capabilities, limitations, motivations, behaviours, and preferences. The emphasis is on changing work systems to suit people, rather than requiring people to adapt to these systems. As the topic of this book is mining equipment, the emphasis is on designing this equipment and the broader work system to t mining operators and maintainers. This can be achieved by measures such as through more t-for-purpose initial design of equipment or by improving work procedures and processes.
