Influence of ship listing and ship motion on walking speed

Vluchtwegen en vluchtwegaanduidingen Westerscheldetunnel [Escape ways and escape-way marking in the Westerschelde tunnel]

Purpose: The tunnel under the Westerschelde is 6.6 km long. Evacuation is possible for emergencies. Evacuees from the "disaster tube" go to the "other tube" through transverse tunnels equipped with doors to contain smoke. But how do drivers know to leave their car, and where to go? ---- Methods: Evacuation steps are: (a) alerting drivers, (b)...

Emergency evacuation: how better interior design can improve passenger flow

The paper presents some conclusions from the EU basic research project "MEPdesign" relevant for design of ship interiors. The findings are discussed with regard to passenger flow as a function of design parameters. The paper explains that current evacuation analyses may be overly optimistic. The conclusion summarises what practical guidelines...

Mustering and evacuation of passengers: Scientific basis for design

The capsizing of the HERALD in 1987 (death toll 193) and the ESTONIA in 1994 (death toll 852) have shown that safety can be tenibly insufficient. That is why, since these disasters, moves to improve safety on board ship have gathered momentum. And this had led to the authorities paying special attention to the provisions for evacuating...

Evacuation from ships: Account for ship motion

A transnational BriteEuram programme on evacuation of passengers from ships is presented. Recent disasters on ferries of the roll-on/roll-off type have led to higher requirements for safety. These requirements are formulated in terms of overall performance rather than performance of a number of isolated components. This brings human behaviour...

Way-finding behaviour and technical guidance systems

Three way-finding systems were tested with large number of human voluteers: an existing system (IMO-compliant) and two new systems: one offering directional information along the skirting board; the other an electrical system, programmable in direction. The tests used almost 300 volunteers who evacuated from an imitated ship's interior. Most...

Cockpit management: Beware of task forgetting even at moderate workloads

Task forgetting is the failure to do a task in time. Disaster may, or may not, ensue depending on the criticality of the task that is forgotten. Poor task (situation) awareness is a necessary precursor of task forgetting. A simulated process-control task consisting of a permanent and an incidental task is introduced as a vehicle to study...

Influence of a carbohydrate drink on performance of military personnel in NBC protective clothing

Background: The increased threat of nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) weapons underlines the need of protective clothing and gas masks, but this may impair performance. Thus, attention should be focused on the nutritional requirements. Hypothesis: Optimal performance is guaranteed if the supply of water and energy is adequate. Methods: Two...

Taskomat: Evaluation of a computerized test battery

A case study on a computerized test battery is presented based on more than a decade of use in military and civil settings. The study sheds light on the general issues associated with computerized testing. The accent is on the contrast between computerized and traditional paper-and-pencil testing. The computerized battery, called Taskomat, is...

Taskomat: Evaluation of a computerized test battery

A case study on a computerized test battery is presented based on more than a decade of use in military and civil settings. The study sheds light on the general issues associated with computerized testing. The accent is on the contrast between computerized and traditional paper-and-pencil testing. The computerized battery, called Taskomat, is...

Het meten van werkbelasting

Stress - in verband gebracht met werkbelasting en de meetbaarheid ervan - heeft in ons land een sterke onderzoekstraditie, met name vanuit de psychofysiologie die de invloed van psychische processen op het fysiologisch systeem poogt in kaart te brengen. Dit boek brengt de belangrijkste deskundigen op dit onderwerp in Nederland aan het woord....

Perception of a visual stimulus in a selective attention paradigm