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On March 11, 2011 a strong earthquake caused a tsunami that struck the coast of Japan.  A series of unexpected events affected a nuclear power plant in Fukushima. This incident shocked the world and public attention once again turned to nuclear safety issues. The events from Three Mile Island, Chernobyl and Fukushima point out that ergonomics issues have not been addressed effectively.

The Japanese Ergonomics Society (JES) has been thinking seriously about this event and has issued a statement to propose that we learn about the true causes of the human errors that led up to this disaster. The concern is that the political, social and economic climate may divert attention to determining liability rather than focusing on the true causes of this event, which involve many people at many levels. JES is approaching this issue from a true human systems perspective where physiological, psychological, organizational and cultural factors should be investigated. This could lead to improved safety management practices  that can safeguard the public, which   is now a global community.

The JES is seeking to understand the errors that were made and how they occurred, not to affix blame. This exemplifies what our profession does well in understanding    and solving systems problems. This is an opportunity for ergonomists to make an impact  on society.  We applaud JES for their contribution and extend our thanks to JES for sharing this with   IEA member societies.

You can read the JES statement.>>