Ergonomics-based design of a life-saving appliance for search and rescue activities

Abstract

When fatal accidents occur at sea, many of the victims are suddenly plunged into cold water. Because the victims can survive for only a brief time, the required rescue time is important since it is difficult to locate a person in distress during night time and inclement weather at sea. Rescue equipment such as light sticks (lifejacket lights), SARTs (Search and Rescue Transponders) and EPIRBs (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons) are effective rescue devices, but they are expensive, large and limited in function for personal use. For this reason, a new life-saving appliance (LSA) using radar cross-section characteristic has been conceptually proposed. To realize this concept, the service environment must be considered and the functional reliability of the LSA, based on characteristics of the human body, must be guaranteed. In this paper, a conceptual design of the LSA is proposed using an ergonomics-based systems engineering approach. ？ 2013 Taylor & Francis Group.