Human Factors Engineers and Ergonomists

What the job really is

Design objects, facilities, and environments to optimize human well-being and overall system performance, applying theory, principles, and data regarding the relationship between humans and respective technology. Investigate and analyze characteristics of human behavior and performance as it relates to the use of technology.

At a glance

• Sector: Architecture & Engineering
• O*NET-SOC code: 17-2112
• O*NET job zone: 5 — extensive preparation
• Work sample tasks on file: 12
• Tools and technologies listed: 12

What you actually do

Work sample tasks recorded for this occupation:

• Collect data through direct observation of work activities or witnessing the conduct of tests.
• Conduct interviews or surveys of users or customers to collect information on topics, such as requirements, needs, fatigue, ergonomics, or interfaces.
• Advocate for end users in collaboration with other professionals, including engineers, designers, managers, or customers.
• Inspect work sites to identify physical hazards.
• Prepare reports or presentations summarizing results or conclusions of human factors engineering or ergonomics activities, such as testing, investigation, or validation.
• Recommend workplace changes to improve health and safety, using knowledge of potentially harmful factors, such as heavy loads or repetitive motions.
• Perform functional, task, or anthropometric analysis, using tools, such as checklists, surveys, videotaping, or force measurement.
• Provide technical support to clients through activities, such as rearranging workplace fixtures to reduce physical hazards or discomfort or modifying task sequences to reduce cycle time.
• Assess the user-interface or usability characteristics of products.
• Establish system operating or training requirements to ensure optimized human-machine interfaces.
• Integrate human factors requirements into operational hardware.
• Review health, safety, accident, or worker compensation records to evaluate safety program effectiveness or to identify jobs with high incidence of injury.

Tools and technology

AJAX, Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Creative Cloud software, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop, Apple Safari, Atlassian JIRA, Autodesk AutoCAD, C++, Cascading style sheets CSS, Dassault Systemes SolidWorks

What employers expect you to already be comfortable with.

Where this job leads

Related occupations — the usual moves up and sideways:

• Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and Inspectors
• Industrial Engineers
• Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers
• Validation Engineers
• Data Scientists
• Computer and Information Research Scientists
• Health Informatics Specialists
• Robotics Engineers

Getting in

O*NET assigns this occupation job zone 5 (extensive preparation). The related occupations above are the realistic routes in and out.

Find openings

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Check this against the source

O*NET OnLine: Human Factors Engineers and Ergonomists — the authoritative public-domain profile this page is derived from, including the full task list, reported skills and the wage estimates for your region.

Derived and rewritten from the public-domain O*NET database (U.S. Department of Labor / Employment and Training Administration). Figures are observations, not promises — always confirm salary, licensing and visa requirements with the employer and the relevant authority.