Course syllabus
Människa, teknik, organisation och hantering av risker
People, Technology, Organization and Risk Management
MAM090, 7,5 credits, A (Second Cycle)
Valid for: 2016/17
Decided by: Education Board E
Date of Decision: 2016-04-04
General Information
Compulsory for: RH4-rh
Elective for: BI3, BME5-br, C4-da, C4-sec
Language of instruction: The course will be given in Swedish
Aim
The goal of the course is for the students to acquire knowledge
of man, technology and organisation and their interplay when it
comes to safety related demands for efficiency and quality of
working life. The students will increase their ability
(individually and as a group member) to systematically identify and
analyse an organisation’s risk management and propose measures
for improved safety and sustainability.
Learning outcomes
Knowledge and understanding
For a passing grade the student must
- Be able to describe inherent human physical and cognitive
possibilities and limitations and relate these to human interaction
with organisation and technology.
- Have acquired knowledge and understanding of different models
and theories describing safety aspects in systems.
- Have acquired knowledge and understanding of different models
and theories describing latent conditions and how organisational
accidents occur.
- Be able to analyse and evaluate how the design of a
human-machine interface affects the determination of risk.
- Be able to describe and discuss issues concerning an
organisation’s safety management (system), and give suggestions
on its improvement with regard to efficiency and
sustainability.
Competences and skills
For a passing grade the student must
- Be able to apply models and use concepts and terms to
evaluate/assess/analyse an organisation’s risk management from
human and organisational perspectives.
- Independently identify and assess relevant human and
organisational problems from a risk management perspective and
propose measures for improved safety.
Judgement and approach
For a passing grade the student must
- Independently, as well as with other students, identify
knowledge requirements, search for and evaluate needed information
on the basis of human and organisational problems.
Contents
The student is first introduced to the pedagogical
strategy used during the course. The course emphasises the
students’ understanding of his/her own knowledge development. The
course includes lectures, individual written reflections after
reading selected literature, and a group student project. In the
project, a study visit is carried out in a real
setting/organisation and related to course content. After the first
visit, the students will present problems/issues relevant to the
organisation’s safety management, propose a research method for
data collection and during a second visit, actively gather
information in relation to the problems/issues and analyse the
results according to the concepts, theories and models presented in
the course. The work in the project is compiled in a written
report. The project work is presented at a seminar and is
peer-reviewed. Supervisor meetings are arranged to support students
during their project work.
The course includes the following subjects:
- Inherent human possibilities and limitations on the basis of:
cognition (perception, memory, learning), human error, stress,
Yerkes Dodson’s law (inverted U), psychosocial and physical
factors and risks.
- How organisational accidents occur on the basis of: latent
conditions, unsafe acts, safety barriers, complexity, situational
factors and Rasmussen’s SRK model.
- Rasmussen’s system view model and a holistic view of risk
management, safety culture, and human and organisational factors in
risk analysis.
- Human-machine interface and interaction on the basis of:
product development and interface design for safety, usability
tests, standards and guidelines.
Examination details
Grading scale: TH
Assessment: Written course examination.
Admission
The number of participants is limited to: 60
Selection: Credits remaining for the degree.
Reading list
- Course compendium: Människa, teknik, organisation och hantering av risker. Ergonomi och Aerosolteknologi, 2014.
- If the student have no access to the compendium the following book can be used: Work and Technology on Human Terms. Prevent 2009. ISBN:978-91-7365-058-8.
- Lecture notes and other reading material handed out in the course containing extracts of scientific articles and book chapters.
Contact and other information
Course coordinator: Docent, tekn dr Åsa Ek, asa.ek@design.lth.se
Examinator: Docent, tekn dr Anders Gudmundsson, anders.gudmundsson@design.lth.se
Course homepage: http://www.eat.lth.se
Further information: Obligatory parts in the course: Introductory lecture. Study visits in safety critical organisations. Group project with written report and presentation at a seminar with peer assessment. Supervisory meetings. Individual written reflections after reading selected literature.