Comment From the Editor-in-Chief

Abstract

Dear readers, As the world continues to change and adapt to modern-day technologies and new global situations emerge, the discipline of human factors and ergonomics continues to play a prominent role across all sectors, from private life to business, healthcare, and government. This issue reviews four papers that are very different in scope and topic; however, all share a common theme by highlighting the role of human factors and ergonomics in tackling realworld problems. The first paper demonstrates how a group of Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES) professionals extended their expertise beyond their geographical boundaries to solve a significant COVID-related challenge. Lintern et al. brought together a team of international experts (from the disciplines of human factors and ergonomics as well as aviation) to create a checklist for COVID-19 patients undergoing surgery. The checklist was for the anesthesiology staff while they addressed essential airway management and infection control procedures. After brainstorming strategies such as do-then-confirm (e.g., often used in routine checklists) or a read-and-do (e.g., used in non-normal checklists), the authors opted for the latter due to the complexity and unfamiliarity surrounding the COVID-19 cases. First, an anesthesiologist formulated a sequence of steps for each subtask in the surgery procedure. Then, the initial design was critiqued by human factors and ergonomics experts who had experience using checklists (in disciplines such as aviation, healthcare, and process safety). Eight design iterations were performed before finalizing the checklist. This paper shows quick thinking, camaraderie, and fast task execution in a crisis. Developing the checklist took just 20 days from start to finish. Clearly, our profession can successfully tackle an emergent issue! In the second paper, Abdoli-Eramaki et al. collaborated with a utility company to develop a Chamber Lid Removal Tool aimed at reducing work-related musculoskeletal disorders related to manhole cover removal. Based on input from key stakeholders, including powerline workers, the authors designed the new tool and compared its use with commonly adapted hand tool designs (Pickaxe for cracking a conventional 120 kg lid and J-hook for cracking a new 68 kg lid). In addition, the authors used a motion capture system to observe body kinematics and biomechanical forces during lid removal. This firstclass lever new design placed the fulcrum closer to the load and thus reduced shoulder moments as well as spinal compression forces considerably compared to Pickaxe and J-hook, respectively. These findings confirm that the new tool design reduces the physical demands typically associated with removing manhole covers. The third paper by Zehr et al. examined the properties of antifatigue flooring related to tripping hazards. The authors theorized that when a person is standing on a deformable, antifatigue surface, the noncontact flooring surface is at a point of elevation compared to the bottom of the shoe sole and that this difference can create a tripping hazard when a person initiates a step from a prolonged standing posture. The authors built a mechanical testing apparatus to test their theory by simulating single-leg stance loading (reflecting different body masses of 45.3 kg, 90.7 kg, and 136.1 kg) on five different flooring surfaces. They found that the deflection profile of antifatigue flooring surfaces depended on compression magnitude, loading duration, and the interaction of these factors during short-duration simulated standing. Overall, the experiment simulated various conditions to examine the susceptibility of tripping and provided new insights to better understand the impact of specific flooring characteristics. Continuing from the July issue, Part 2 of a two-part series by Chiou and Roscoe discusses our HFES efforts to promote authentic diversity in human factors and ergonomics scholarship. According to the authors, the first HFES Diversity Task Force was established in 1994 and renewed yearly until 2015–2016, when diversity and inclusion were officially added to the HFES Strategic Plan. During the tenure of HFES President Dr. William Marras (2015–2016), the Diversity Task Force transitioned to a permanent standing committee. Dr. Pascale Carayon led the inaugural Diversity Committee, which was officially recognized as a Council Committee in 2019. The authors contend that this executive-level visibility paved the way for the recent development of several affinity groups within the HFES community. In addition, a Leadership Development Committee was formed under President Dr. Kermit Davis (2018–2019) to help make leadership roles accessible to diverse members. Recent papers and panel discussions at the HFES annualmeetings have further strengthened this progress. Finally, the authors note that such a noble effort on authentic diversity by HFES should be continually supported, shared, and sustained for the betterment of our membership and continued progress in the discipline of human factors and ergonomics and beyond. The topic for the 2022 Human Factors Prize Competition, “Equity and Inclusivity,” is a testament to HFES’s serious commitment to moving