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Human and organizational factors in security screening and inspection systems: conceptual framework and key research needs

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Abstract

This paper presents a macroergonomic conceptual framework for human and organizational factors in security screening and inspection (SSI) systems of cargo and passengers across three transportation modes: air, rail, and sea. The framework categorizes human and organizational factors into five categories of the SSI work system: organization, operational environment, individual or operator, tasks and workload, and SSI tools and technologies. The framework is an expanded description of human and organizational factors in each transportation mode with key areas for human factors research in SSI systems. Research recommendations and implications for the intelligent design and intelligent support of SSI systems include organizational and job design of SSI systems, roles of human error and violations in SSI systems, and design of effective alarm systems.

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Notes

  1. The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) has archived, publicly-available studies and reports accessible from their website (www.gao.gov).

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Acknowledgments

This research was performed while the lead author held a National Research Council Research Associateship Award at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. The authors thank Stephen Gajewski and Brian Minsk of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory for their reviews on earlier drafts of this paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Wisconsin Center for Education Research, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1025 West Johnson Street, Rm. 770, Madison, WI, 53706, USA

    Sara Kraemer

  2. Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Center for Quality and Productivity Improvement, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 3126 Engineering Centers Building, 1550 University Ave, Madison, WI, 53706, USA

    Pascale Carayon

  3. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, 1100 Dexter Avenue North, Suite 400, Seattle, WA, 98109, USA

    Thomas F. Sanquist

Authors
  1. Sara Kraemer
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  2. Pascale Carayon
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  3. Thomas F. Sanquist
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Correspondence to Sara Kraemer.

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Kraemer, S., Carayon, P. & Sanquist, T.F. Human and organizational factors in security screening and inspection systems: conceptual framework and key research needs. Cogn Tech Work 11, 29–41 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10111-008-0121-4

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