Ergonomics and Human Factors (HFE) was developed and recognised as a field of its own during World War II, thanks to various disciplines and practitioners coming together to address the design and enhancement of complex military equipment. The idea behind HFE currently relates to the scientific discipline concerned with the understanding of interactions among humans and other elements of a system, and the profession that applies theory, principles, data, and methods to design in order to optimise human well-being and overall system performance. In short, HFE practitioners adapt systems or environments to fit people rather than the other way around.
To showcase a thorough understanding and application of the extends of cognitive ergonomics, this essay applies this scientific discipline to humans at work and their cognitive abilities involved. The profession of Project Engineer (PE) in the oil and gas industry is focused upon.
The main limitations of the workload (onshore and offshore) are discussed and recommendations are given to improve human performance.
