Human factors analysis of plans and procedures
The study of comprehension and retention of print material is a part of what writers call human factors. Some human factors are common knowledge to writers of plans and procedures, but many are not. Federal orders provide some guidance, but that guidance is usually limited to content or order of presentation and does not include style. Style is important in influencing understanding and remembering the content. A writing style that helps produce clear, easily understood plans and procedures is always valuable but it is particularly important for radiological emergency response documents. The procedures are often referred to during emergencies when the emergency staff is under stress and sometimes fatigued by extended work days. The purpose of this paper is to explore some of the human factors (format, sequence of topics, and writing style) that should be considered to make plans and procedures more easily used, understood, and remembered.
- Research Organization:
- Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (USA)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC06-76RL01830
- OSTI ID:
- 5837120
- Report Number(s):
- PNL-SA-18687; CONF-910434-6; ON: DE91012613
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 3. topical meeting on emergency preparedness and response, Chicago, IL (USA), 16-19 Apr 1991
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Editing Tips for Technical Publications in the Joint Nuclear Weapons Publication System (JNWPS)
Procedure Parsing: A Method for Parsing Handwritten Documents into Computer-Based Procedures