Psychomotor Performance Monitoring System in the Context of Fatigue and Accident Prevention

Perfecting modern design of technical objects highlights the long-known truth that the human is the most unreliable link in the human-technical object system. However, this is a superficial finding not taking into account the root cause of human error – non-ergonomic working conditions. The desire to improve this situation by increasingly including ergonomic requirements, such as in the design of equipment interfaces, brings significant results. Suitable reduction of fatigue of varying nature, in many cases leads to a reduction in the number of errors among equipment operators. The system model assumes the possibility of a verification of psychomotor status in the workplace directly on the job, not relying on the test results to resume work and only allowing the diagnosis of an undesirable condition. The model is based on, among others, Fitts’ Law. The testing software is a form of web application. Each user has an account on which the results are collected and form the basis for drawing conclusions about the state of fatigue. It is necessary therefore to assume that for dedicated positions there is no risk of distraction by the need for an additional device. Time spent on the task cannot be reduced by the tasks resulting from work. The paradigmatic example of the application of this method can be demonstrated in a study of urban transport vehicles before leaving the initial stop. A study of psychomotor skills can be used as an alternative to the fairly common in some countries testing of alcohol content in exhaled air. There are also breathalyzers integrated in such a way with control of the vehicle, that it is only after the verification of sobriety that one can start the vehicle. There are also no reasons that this check cannot warrant a short psychomotor test.