The purpose of this study was to gather ergonomists' perspectives and experiences, describing current challenges and contextual considerations in risk assessment, exploring how ergonomists are currently integrating the multiple domains of ergonomics for MSD and/or psychological health and safety and highlighting key considerations in the design and format of future tools. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with twenty Canadian ergonomists to explore risk assessment tool use, favoured characteristics and format of tools, commonly addressed risk factors in their practice, and tools relating to both MSD prevention and psychological health and safety. The range of practitioner years of experience highlighted differing needs and approaches to the use and formatting of risk assessment tools. Practitioners reported using quantitative outcomes (levels of risk, values) from traditional physical tools complemented by a general observation of psychosocial or organizational factors. Though many respondents had not yet encountered the need for psychological injury assessment in their sectors it was identified as a quickly emerging area citing a need for valid and reliable tools. Practitioners noted a lack of available tools that integrated cognitive and psychosocial items presenting a future challenge for integrated tools that covered multiple ergonomic domains. Along with recommendations for future tool development, the authors reflect on the process of qualitative inquiry as an essential step in the risk assessment process. Future studies will be needed to develop and evaluate measurement properties of integrating psychosocial factors and their respective tools in traditional MSD assessment.

Occupational exoskeletons hold promise in preventing musculoskeletal disorders, but their effectiveness relies on their long-term use by workers. This study aims to characterize the adoption process of occupational exoskeletons by analyzing the experiences of 25 operators. Using a mixed-methods approach, both quantitative and qualitative data were collected before and during a four-week familiarization period. We primarily focused on users' expectations, subjective assessments over time, and initial experiences. Findings elucidate shifts in operators' perceptions of the devices over time. Through their narratives, we highlight how exoskeleton use impact operators' movements and the subsequent adaptations. Operators demonstrated diverse exploratory behaviors, indicating their efforts to get to grips with the effects of exoskeletons in their own ways. This study offers insights into the initial stages of occupational exoskeleton adoption, thus enriching our comprehension of rejection patterns and pathways toward their widespread acceptance.

A type 1 diabetes (T1D) transition clinic in Sydney, Australia, provides age specific care for young adults (aged 16-25 years) and for adults (aged 21 years and above), and has reported improved clinical outcomes post transition to adult care over a 21-year period. This study investigated the contribution of digital technology to long-term resilient capacity of the clinic. Clinic observations and interviews with eight providers and 17 young adults were conducted. Using a framework to analyze resilient capacity in healthcare, seven strong themes emerged from the data: Leadership, Involvement, Communication, Coordination, Risk Awareness, Competence and Alignment with three themes, Structure, Learning and Facilitators also supported. Patient service adaptations included offering out of hours appointment times and telehealth to accommodate young adults' availability. This study provides evidence for the important role that digital technologies contribute to a system of care with capacity for resilience. Our findings contribute to the understanding of the factors needed to support young adults with T1D and may be valuable to inform models of care for young adults living with other chronic health conditions.

User comfort in higher-level Automated Vehicles (AVs, SAE Level 4+) is crucial for public acceptance. AV driving styles, characterised by vehicle kinematic and proxemic factors, affect user comfort, with "human-like" driving styles expected to provide natural feelings. We investigated a) how the kinematic and proxemic factors of an AV's driving style affect users' evaluation of comfort and naturalness, and b) how the similarities between automated and users' manual driving styles affect user evaluation. Using a motion-based driving simulator, participants experienced three Level 4 automated driving styles: two human-like (defensive, aggressive) and one machine-like. They also manually drove the same route. Participants rated their comfort and naturalness of each automated controller, across twenty-four varied UK road sections. We calculated maximum absolute values of the kinematic and proxemic factors affecting the AV's driving styles in longitudinal, lateral, and vertical directions, for each road section, to characterise the automated driving styles. The Euclidean distance between AV and manual driving styles, in terms of kinematic and proxemic factors, was calculated to characterise the human-like driving style of the AV. We used mixed-effects models to examine a) the effect of AV's kinematic and proxemic factors on the evaluation of comfort and naturalness, and b) how similarities between manual and automated driving styles affected the evaluation. Results showed significant effects of lateral and rotational kinematic factors on comfort and naturalness, with longitudinal kinematic factors having a less prominent effect. Similarities in vehicle metrics, such as speed, longitudinal jerk, lateral offset, and yaw, between manual and automated driving styles, enhanced user comfort and naturalness. This research facilitates an understanding of how control features of AVs affect user experience, contributing to the design of user-centred controllers and better acceptance of higher-level AVs.

To establish guidelines for sleeping space in vehicles, the sleeping postures of 189 participants are studied, 105 of them were asked to take the position in which they fall asleep and 84 have been asked to assume the position in which they lie most of the time. Seven percent slept on the stomach, 19% on the back and 74% on the side and 49% slept on the side with both legs flexed. For all participants a bed size of 200 × 90 cm will do. It is discussed that for one night while travelling a bed size of 171 × 76 cm might be sufficient as it results in a reasonably good sleep according to another study and in almost half of the cases in this study people sleep on the side with both legs folded. Apart from the sleeping space for a good sleep, attention is needed for a dark environment with a good temperature and relative silence.

Technical devices can enhance safety by warning people of unrecognized obstacles, particularly in traffic, wilderness, and industrial settings. This study aims to identify the most effective vibrotactile stimuli for localization tasks by developing and evaluating various types of vibrotactile alerts presented through a tactile vest with visual patterns. The study design involved comparing the time and consistency of interpreting visual stimuli and subsequent tactile stimuli. The tactile stimuli included: a 'point' vibration on the left or right side of the back, a 'column' pattern of five vibrations on one side of the back, and a 'wave' pattern of vibrations running along the back from left to right or vice versa. The results indicated that reaction times to visual stimuli were significantly shorter than to vibration stimuli, suggesting that visual stimuli are suitable for alert systems with low cognitive load. The 'point' and 'column' patterns were recognized significantly faster and more clearly than the'wave' pattern. Consequently, the haptic vest was classified as a potentially effective low cognitive load device in localization performance. The findings could inform the design of early warning systems for obstacle detection in real traffic situations.

Back exosuits offer the potential to reduce occupational back injuries but require in-field acceptance and use to realize this potential. For this study, 146 employees trialed an active back exosuit in the field for 4 h, completing an acceptance usability survey. Comparing the 80% of employees willing to continue wearing this device (N = 117) to those who were not (N = 29) revealed that employees willing to wear this device for a longer-term study generally were more likely to perceive this back exosuit to be effective (helpful) and compatible (minimally disruptive) to their everyday work. Using an optimal tree approach, we demonstrate that intent-to-use could be predicted with 78% accuracy by interacting features of perceived exosuit effectiveness and work compatibility. This study reinforces the importance of task matching, noticeable relief, and unobtrusive design to facilitate short-term employee acceptance of industrial wearable robotic technology.

This study aims to explore adoption barriers from three aspects critical to facilitating robotic-assisted-surgery (RAS) adoption: the human-robot-interaction, built-environment, and training. Guidelines for research and design are identified from these perspectives. This study consisted of three phases: 1) surveys to RAS stakeholders and a crowd-sourcing survey; 2) stakeholder focus groups; and 3) a workshop with subject-matter experts to prioritize future research for RAS. Barriers from the human-robot-interaction perspective include hesitancy among clinicians to trust automation and physical discomfort during prolonged RAS. Barriers impeding communication and workflow disruptions were identified considering the built-environment. Training barriers were exemplified by varying curriculums from formal (courses) to informal (peer training) for surgeons. Crowd-sourced survey results suggest socio-economic status plays a role in RAS perception. Design guidelines include: 1) improved ergonomics; 2) deliberate introduction of automation; 3) sufficient in-room storage for prospective operating rooms; and 4) the development of compact RAS devices for older/smaller rooms.

This study investigated whether caregivers and regulatory experts can predict the appeal of household chemicals for children and explored determinants of differences between adults' and children's child-appeal rating. We invited N = 95 4-year-old children and their caregivers to a laboratory study. Both independently ranked 16 household chemicals from the least to the most child-appealing product. In addition to the laboratory study, we sent an online adaptation of this ranking task to N = 46 experts involved in the monitoring and authorizing of household chemicals. Our findings show that the aggregated child-appeal rating of household chemicals was highly similar among caregivers, experts, and children. When comparing child-appeal ratings of household chemicals with and without child-appealing images, caregivers and experts did well in predicting which products might appeal to children. Finally, our findings show that the similarity between individual caregivers' and their own children's child-appeal ratings of household chemicals varied substantially. To conclude, although adults can assess the general child-appeal of household chemicals, they need to consider that the actual appeal of a household chemical can vary considerably among individual children. Instead of regulating specific product attributes, policymakers should prioritize educating caregivers about pitfalls and misconceptions that hinder effective injury prevention.

The aim of this paper is to identify some of the characteristics of innovation and collective work in different fablab organizations. We first define fablabs through a review of literature, situating related questions in the field of ergonomics and focusing our point of view on individual and collective activity. Secondly, we show how the results of our qualitative analyses (performed on data from interviews and observations of fablab managers, users, and projects from 13 fablabs) reveal 3 main types of fablab organization: community-oriented fablabs, academic fablabs and industrial fablabs, in which different activities are carried out. Fablab activity depends on lab users and the type of design projects carried out. The discussion will focus on the fablab organization findings, including the links between design/innovation project work, collective work and evolving rules, and how all of these aspects might direct activity-centered ergonomics research and actions in the future.

Heavy vehicle operators suffer from increased fall risk, potentially due to exposure to whole-body vibration (WBV) that compromises postural control. This study aimed to characterize the relative impacts of multi-axial WBV vs. vertical-dominant WBV on dynamic postural control during sit-to-stand transition and stair descent, following prolonged vibration exposures. We also compared the effectiveness of a standard (single-axial passive suspension) seat with a multi-axial active suspension seat intervention. Vertical-dominant WBV adversely affected dynamic postural control. However, multi-axial WBV had no added adverse effects on postural control compared to vertical-dominant WBV. The multi-axial active suspension system did not outperform the standard seat in mitigating vibration effects on postural control during exposures but led to faster recovery during breaks between exposures. Overall, our results confirmed the negative effects of WBV on dynamic postural control but did not detect any additional negative effects associated with multi-axial WBV when compared to vertical-dominant WBV.

New computed tomography and image enhancement technologies are increasingly used in cabin baggage screening at airports. The current work sought to establish whether these technological advancements had pushed beyond human psychological capability by examining the impact of different image enhancements on threat detection. Sixty-one naïve adults participated in an online study and received targetless search training before being tested in a simulated baggage screening task - in addition to three-dimensional images this task incorporated two-dimensional slice views, material stripping and zoom functionality. The two-dimensional slice view improved threat detection sensitivity and lowered response criterion relative to a standard three-dimensional image, as screeners found dangerous items they had initially missed, likely due to improved ability to resolve superposition or identify edges. In contrast, material stripping and zoom did not impact sensitivity, criterion or screeners' confidence in their responses, suggesting that they contributed no additional informational value.

With the emergence of Industry 5.0 and an increasing focus on human-centric approaches in manufacturing, the analysis of workers in production systems has gathered significant interest among researchers and practitioners. Previous studies have explored the impact of various aspects, such as skills, fatigue, and circadian rhythms, on human performance. However, the cumulative effect of these aspects as disturbances on work performance has yet to be fully elucidated. This study introduces an approach using the Functional Resonance Analysis Method (FRAM) to investigate the impact of multiple disturbances on workers' performance. Furthermore, this approach explored how the resilience-related skill aspects of workers affect their performance under multiple disturbances. A case study on engine test and repair processes was conducted, employing qualitative data collection and semi-quantitative simulation studies examining the impact of combined disturbances across 4,094 scenarios. The results show that a larger number of compounded variabilities expressed in Common Performance Conditions (CPCs) made it significantly challenging to recover work performance, and CPCs with particularly critical effects were identified. In addition, the FRAM model of skilled workers was shown to sustain higher performance across more scenarios. The approach of this study has demonstrated its ability to provide insights for effectively and safely managing production systems while considering complex disturbances.

Work-related psychosocial hazards have a significant influence on the development of musculoskeletal and mental health disorders (MSDs and MHDs). This study used behavioural change theory to guide understanding of barriers and enablers for leaders working in the Heavy Vehicle Road Transport industry, to address workplace psychosocial hazards. The findings will be used to inform design of a future intervention to support leaders to more effectively address these hazards. Principal results and major conclusions: A higher number of barriers than enablers were identified. The most prevalent barriers were inadequate knowledge and interpersonal skills, and environmental context and inadequate resources, and the most prevalent enabler was risk management. The findings extend previous evidence by providing more specific detail regarding requirements for addressing psychosocial hazards. Further, the findings identified there is a need to improve the capability, opportunity and motivation of leaders to enable them to more effectively address psychosocial hazards.

The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated the need for respiratory protection against airborne pathogens. Respirator options for children are limited, and existing designs do not consider differences in facial shape or size. We created a dataset of children's facial images from three cohorts, then used geometric morphometric analyses of dense and sparse facial landmark representations to quantify age, sex and ancestry-related variation in shape. We found facial shape and size in children vary significantly with age from ages 2 to 18, particularly in dimensions relevant to respirator design. Sex differences are small throughout most of the age range of our sample. Ancestry is associated with significant facial shape variation in dimensions that may affect respirator fit. We offer guidance on how to our results can be used for the appropriate design of devices such as respirators for pediatric populations. We also highlight the need to consider ancestry-related variation in facial morphology to promote equitable, inclusive products.

Operational inefficiencies remain a critical occupational burden to clinical healthcare workers, contributing to adverse organizational and employee outcomes. Perceptions of these inefficiencies likely vary across occupational roles, yet these differences have not been thoroughly explored in the healthcare setting. To address this gap, inefficiencies at work were self-reported by 1083 interdisciplinary clinical healthcare workers within a large academic medical center in the southeastern United States. A qualitative inductive thematic analysis was used to describe employee perceptions of work tasks, processes, or systems that seem duplicative, poorly designed, or unnecessary. Matrix coding was used to explore differences based on professional roles. Specific inefficiencies were differentially experienced across professional roles, including but not limited to role definition, education, and staffing. The reported differences highlight the need to engage with all healthcare workers to enhance the experience of all roles across the organization.

Shared autonomous vehicles (SAVs) can help older adults maintain mobility and independence throughout the later stages of life. However, research is critically needed to assess the design of SAV interior features and quantify potential mobility challenges for older populations. This paper presents a study that adopted a mixed-methods approach to evaluate the needs and perceptions of adults aged 65 years and older regarding interior features of SAVs during user enactment, and offers data-driven insights on task performance to inform design decisions. Thirty participants interacted with an SAV mock-up and participated in subsequent focus group discussions regarding their interaction experiences and general perceptions of SAV. Quantitative video-based time-motion analysis and qualitative thematic analysis of the focus group discussion highlighted concerns related to a) ingress and egress accessibility; b) seat and cabin comfort; c) appropriate social interactions with co-riders; and d) SAV operational functionality. Staggered seating arrangements and multi-functional use of available space were preferred features. The analysis also identified potential improvements, such as the inclusion of additional handholds and efficient HVAC systems, and underscored the need for central monitoring for emergency interventions during SAV operations. Ultimately, findings from this research can provide valuable insights for researchers and engineers to design equitable transportation solutions tailored to a broad range of traveler abilities and needs.

This study assessed the effect of a small-torque generating passive back-support exoskeleton during a low demanding occupational task, namely a repetitive lifting/lowering of an empty crate between the knee and shoulder heights. A comprehensive set of outcomes was considered, ranging from the measured trunk muscle activation and trunk movement to the estimated muscle group forces/coordination, spine loading and spine stability, using a dynamic subject-specific EMG-assisted musculoskeletal model. The exoskeleton decreased back muscle activation and corresponding muscle forces in the lowering phase and reduced spinal loading at larger trunk flexion angles (decreased peak compression and shear forces by ∼ 15%). However, the effect sizes were small (η < .06), questioning the usefulness of this type of exoskeleton, even for light tasks. On the other hand, the unique results of the present study showed that coordination between the main muscle groups as well as spinal stability remained unchanged with low effect sizes, suggesting that the use of this exoskeleton is safe.

In this study, a conditional automated driving scenario is simulated using virtual reality (VR) technology to explore whether office works presented through augmented reality (AR) affect task and takeover performance, and the neural mechanism was revealed. Sixty-four participants were recruited and their electroencephalography (EEG) was used to measure the brain activities. The results indicated that non-driving-related tasks (NDRTs) requiring higher internal attention focus resulted in poorer task and takeover performance. The alpha power decline magnitude in the parietotemporal (PT) was positively correlated with the takeover time; and the greater the alpha power decline in the right centroparietal (CP) hemisphere, the worse is the participants' memory quality for NDRTs. The ventral attention network (VAN) and right parietal cortex, which are active during working memory, are more likely to explain these findings. The results can provide suggestions for the design of AR-ADS and help improve the safety in L3 driving automation systems.

In the era of Industry 4.0, the study of Human-Robot Collaboration (HRC) in advancing modern manufacturing and automation is paramount. An operator approaching a collaborative robot (cobot) may have feelings of distrust, and experience discomfort and stress, especially during the early stages of training. Human factors cannot be neglected: for efficient implementation, the complex psycho-physiological state and responses of the operator must be taken into consideration. In this study, volunteers were asked to carry out a set of cobot programming tasks, while several physiological signals, such as electroencephalogram (EEG), electrocardiogram (ECG), Galvanic skin response (GSR), and facial expressions were recorded. In addition, a subjective questionnaire (NASA-TLX) was administered at the end, to assess if the derived physiological parameters are related to the subjective perception of stress. Parameters exhibiting a higher degree of alignment with subjective perception are mean Theta (76.67%), Alpha (70.53%) and Beta (67.65%) power extracted from EEG, recovery time (72.86%) and rise time (71.43%) extracted from GSR and heart rate variability (HRV) metrics PNN25 (71.58%), SDNN (70.53%), PNN50 (68.95%) and RMSSD (66.84%). Parameters extracted from raw RR Intervals appear to be more variable and less accurate (42.11%) so as recorded emotions (51.43%).

In a ship rocking environment, muscle activity in different sitting postures may impact passenger balance and stability, thereby aggravating or alleviating symptoms of motion sickness. This study aims to explore the relationship between motion sickness induced by ship rolling and muscle activity in various sitting postures, with the goal of informing the optimization of ship seat designs to enhance passenger comfort. The research focuses on the angle of backrest inclination and head-neck position as key variables. Participants were seated on a six-degree-of-freedom platform simulating ship movements and rated their discomfort levels in different sitting postures while electromyographic (EMG) signals were collected from the sternocleidomastoid (SCM), upper trapezius muscles, and erector spinae muscles. The analysis investigated the correlation between muscle activity and motion sickness across different postures. The results indicate that a 22.5° reclined backrest angle minimizes motion sickness discomfort, while no significant correlation was found between head and neck position and motion sickness in this study, but the interaction between head and neck position and backrest angle needs further study. Differences in muscle activity were identified between motion-susceptible and non-susceptible individuals, with the former exhibiting higher activity in the SCM and upper trapezius muscles, leading to greater fatigue. Additionally, only the SCM showed opposite activity between men and women, while the changes in the upper trapezius and erector spinae muscles were basically the same. This study provides insights for optimizing ship seat design, contributing to the alleviation of motion sickness symptoms and enhancing passenger comfort. The findings hold significance for ship seat design and open new possibilities for the application of industrial design in the field of maritime engineering.

In commercial Dungeness crab fishing vessels, the block pulls crab pots for harvesting and typically positions them to the side of vessels, rather than the sorting tables on board. Consequently, fishermen must reach outside the vessel to grab the pots, posing increased risk of musculoskeletal and fall-related injuries. To investigate the effects of block design on these risks, 25 participants in a repeated-measures laboratory study handled a pot under two block conditions: away-from-table (conventional setting) and above-table (intervention). Low back and shoulder muscle activities, angles, moments, perceived exertion, and postural stability were measured. The results showed reduced L5/S1 and shoulder moments and angles; decreased muscle activities in the low back, shoulders, and upper extremities; and lower perceived exertion ratings and postural sway measures with the intervention. These findings indicate that positioning the pot closer to fishermen onboard could reduce the injury and fall risk associated with crab pot handling.

Space-based teaming requires coordination across human operators using old (e.g., existing communication networks) and new (e.g., AI and robotic teammates) digital technologies (DTs) across great distances. Hence, methods are needed to observe resilience across multiple layers of coordination comprising DT-enabled space missions. This presented study simulates high-stakes scenarios to measure constructs like relaxation time, information entropy, and average mutual information (AMI) to evaluate team responses to perturbations. Our study involved two scenarios: one with nominal communications among space entities and another introducing resilience through deliberate perturbations. Eight participants who were members of the research team, engaged in these simulations. Communication flow and vehicle controls and position were measured. Using layered dynamics, we measure dynamic resilience curves (comprising enaction, adaptation, and recovery components) across the system before, during, and after perturbations. We ran two engineering tests of our resilience metrics. Key findings indicate that measures differentiated between the resilient team with shorter relaxation times and more effective adaptation to perturbations, marked by distinct phases of enaction, adaptation, and recovery. The AMI metric was found to be a more sensitive measure of team influence and resilience than communication frequency. This study contributes to future research in two ways. First, the simulation environment and continuous signal capture allows for the observation of adaptations. Second, the adoption of operationism provides an innovative approach to observing resilience.

Winter boots with specialized outsoles (composite footwear) may be able to reduce the risk of falls on ice by 78%. However, a pilot study has also found that the slip resistance of this composite footwear can diminish relatively quickly with simulated use. The objective of this study was to evaluate the change in slip resistance of popular composite footwear (with IceFX outsoles) over a winter season of real-world use. Eighteen participants were given composite footwear to use over 4 winter months. Changes in slip resistance were measured monthly using the Maximum Achievable Angle (MAA) test while a pedometer was used to track step counts. Over 150,000 steps, MAA scores dropped from 13.86±1.35 (SD) to 8.81 ± 1.32 (SD), with a significant decrease after just 75,000 steps. This drop in slip resistance suggests that the risk of slip-related falls on ice may increase during even the first season of use.

In Human Factors research, measuring the construct of workload is common. This often takes the form of using subjective questionnaires such as the NASA-TLX. Another approach analyses operators' performance in a secondary task to quantify and measure workload. We developed and, thus, propose one such task: the (Tactile) Signal Detection Task (TSDT). In two experimental studies, the performance of the TSDT was compared to NASA-TLX ratings during varying workload conditions in a laboratory setting. Study 2 additionally investigated the susceptibility of the NASA-TLX and the TSDT to different difficulty primes. Results indicate a good performance of the TSDT in measuring workload, a susceptibility of the NASA-TLX, and a non-susceptibility of the TSDT to difficulty primes. Further results and practical implications are discussed.

The development of Industry 4.0 has resulted in tremendous transformations in the manufacturing sector to supplement the human workforce through collaboration with robots. This emphasis on a human-centered approach is a vital aspect in promoting resilience within manufacturing operations. In response, humans need to adjust to new working conditions, including sharing areas with no apparent separations and with simultaneous actions that might affect performance. At the same time, wearable technologies and applications with the potential to gather detailed and accurate human physiological data are growing rapidly. These data lead to a better understanding of evaluating human performance while considering multiple factors in human-robot collaboration. This study uses an approach for assessing human performance in human-robot collaboration. The assessment scenario necessitates understanding of how humans perceive collaborative work based on several indicators, such as perceptions of workload, performance, and physiological feedback. The participants were evaluated for around 120 min. The results showed that human performance improved as the number of repetitions increased, and the learning performance value was 92%. Other physiological indicators also exhibited decreasing values as the human performance tended to increase. The findings can help the industry to evaluate human performance based on workload, performance, and physiological feedback information. The implication of this assessment can serve as a foundation for enhancing resilience by refining work systems that are adaptable to humans without compromising performance.

The autonomous, digital, and electric transformation of passenger vehicles is projected to elevate the incidence of motion sickness among occupants. This study investigates the effectiveness of an "anti-motion sickness" system that features dynamic light stimuli to support visual perception of longitudinal motion, combined with relaxing music, perfume and ventilation pulses to enhance user wellbeing. In an experimental design aimed at replicating a realistic passenger drive, fifty-three subjects were tested as front passengers engaged in a gaming activity. Subjective motion sickness ratings were collected throughout the drive, and the development of symptoms was monitored through in-ear physiological measurements, including RR-intervals, core temperature, and oxygen saturation. Post hoc analyses indicated non-significant improvement in subjective assessments of motion sickness. Similarly, physiological measurements did not demonstrate any significant difference across conditions. The tested system was however more effective in mitigating car sickness for low susceptible than for mid-to-high susceptible individuals.

An accident on a passenger ferry may lead to evacuation using lifeboats or liferafts, a process that can be both complex and hazardous. This paper investigates the level of safety for passengers during evacuation based on field study and interview data. In the analysis, the eight goals of Universal Design (UD) were tailored and used to explore what ship and interior characteristics influence evacuation performance and the demands placed on the crew and passengers, and whether all passengers have equal chances of completing evacuation safely. Results suggest that while a ship may fulfil regulation, completing an evacuation may pose challenges for passengers with varying abilities, for example, when attempting to perceive emergency information or move through the ship. In addition, it was found that an evacuation may present the crew with challenges and difficult trade-offs that are not always accounted for in the ship's design, equipment and safety organization. It is concluded that the use of a UD approach in ship design, based on a truthful representation of passenger demographics, could enhance passenger safety and provide for evacuation on equal terms.