High-speed train drivers' human error under fatigue and stress: the role of situation awareness and individual differences.

Fatigue and stress are critical variables that impair railway train drivers' safety performance, and individual differences may influence these effects. This study investigates how fatigue and stress affect high-speed train drivers' human error and the role of individual differences. We hypothesised that situation awareness (SA) mediates the effects of fatigue and stress on human error, and individual differences (age and work experience) moderate these effects. We surveyed 1,391 male drivers from eight Chinese railway bureaus and used PROCESS Macro for data analysis. The results revealed that fatigue and stress increased human error, directly and indirectly through SA. Age and work experience moderated the effect of fatigue and stress on SA, respectively. Older drivers had better SA under high fatigue, while more experienced drivers had better SA under high stress. These findings can inform more tailored safety management strategies to lower human error and enhance the safety of high-speed train operations.

A cross-sectional survey of 1,391 high-speed train drivers in China indicated that fatigue and stress amplify human error by impairing situation awareness (SA). Age and work experience were observed to moderate the impact of fatigue and stress on SA, respectively. These insights guide the advancement of safety management strategies.

Diurnal biological effects of correlated colour temperature and its exposure timing on alertness, cognition, and mood in an enclosed environment.

Artificial lighting, which profits from the non-visual effects of light, is a potentially promising solution to support residents' psychophysiological health and performance at specific times of the day in enclosed environments. However, few studies have investigated the non-visual effects of daytime correlated colour temperature (CCT) and its exposure timing on human alertness, cognition, and mood. However, the neural mechanisms underlying these effects are largely unknown. The current study evaluated the effects of daytime CCT and its exposure timing on markers of subjective experience, cognitive performance, and cerebral activity in a simulated enclosed environment. Forty-two participants participated a single-blind laboratory study with a 4 within (CCT: 4000 K vs. 6500 K vs. 8500 K vs. 12,000 K) × 2 between (exposure timing: morning vs. afternoon) mixed design. The results showed time of the day dependent benefits of the daytime CCT on subjective experience, vigilant attention, response inhibition, working memory, emotional perception, and risk decisions. The results of the electroencephalogram (EEG) revealed that lower-frequency EEG bands, including theta, alpha, and alpha-theta, were quite sensitive to daytime CCT intervention, which provides a valuable reference for trying to establish the underlying mechanisms that support the performance-enhancement effects of exposure to CCT in the daytime. However, the results revealed no consistent intervention pattern across these measurements. Therefore, future studies should consider personalised optimisation of daytime CCT for different cognitive demands.

Improved ergonomic layout design of metro control center based on virtual simulation technology and genetic algorithm.

For the existing control center layout methods do not have targeted measures to implement human factors requirements, this paper puts forward a specific human factors design method for metro control center layout. This method covers the overall process of ergonomic standards and actual engineering requirements in personal space determination, overall location design, and personnel post layout. It introduces discrete personnel simulation to assist in physical control center layout design for the controllers' safety. To make the posts between the unified lines and the connections between the lines more reasonable, an improved genetic algorithm is used to solve the Systematic Layout Planning. This design flow and algorithm can be quickly adapted according to the project's actual needs and the application of human factors guidelines. This method is also suitable for the layout planning and design of similar large spaces, large numbers of people, and complex associated control centers.