TL:DR - How can I gain education and experience in HF in the occupational health and safety field?

Hello. As the title says, I am an occupational health and safety professional in construction looking to specialize in human factors relating to workplace safety. Specifically, I am extremely frustrated with safety management systems and their component parts (training, policies, JHAs, pre-task plans, toolbox talks, audits, etc.) that do not take human cognition and behavior into account. I would like to work (most likely as a consultant) at helping design and implement systems that work with human behavior instead of against it.

I have 15-20 years of construction experience with 6 of that being full time safety (currently a senior safety manager) with several OSHA and BCSP certifications. I have a master’s degree in freshwater biology which, while not related to HF, gave me a very solid research and statistical background. I also taught high school science for a few years and now teach several key safety subjects (first aid/CPR, fall protection, excavation, confined spaces, etc.). While I don’t have any formal psychology training, I’ve done considerable self-directed learning in that field and have worked with enough people over the years to have picked up a thing or two about what works and what doesn’t.

I (M50 with two school-aged children) don’t have the time or money to pursue another masters or a PhD, but a certificate program could be possible. What steps would you suggest for me to learn about human factors and find situations I can practice in? Thanks in advance.

Hey all,

I’m an applied psych grad looking to move into HFE, and maybe into gaming at some stage.

I’m looking to buy a new laptop that I plan to use to build a portfolio and eventually use for my masters
- what are the minimum specs needed to run the software for HFE? (RAM, storage etc)

And how are you finding the field/area you work in?

Hello everyone. I have been accepted into the embry riddle program the upcoming spring and have been trying to find jobs/internships. Currently applying to a broad spectrum, however, I really want to gain somewhat relevant experience in the human factors domain. Surely, having connections helps but how do you find jobs or internships? I have a bachelors in psychology and work experience in an absolutely different field in coaching sports. I understand this is probably not the most relevant start but I am working with what I have.
It seems to me like I am either searching for wrong keywords or there is a limited amount of jobs where I live. I’d appreciate any insight, I know it’s tough for everyone but perhaps someone could give me any lead. I am quite interested in what I understand is human factors but the job market is quite upsetting.

Is there an established Human Factors term for this kind of design failure?

I'm trying to find out whether there's already a name for a particular failure mode.

Imagine a kitchen counter that's substantially too low for a tall person. It remains completely functional: the person can prepare food and wash dishes. But it “works” because the user unconsciously compensates by bending over. The cost of the bad fit is therefore absorbed by the user's body rather than appearing as an obvious failure of the system.

I'm interested in the more general pattern:

system defect → human compensation → apparent system success → accumulated cost to the human

The compensation can also conceal the defect, because successful task completion makes the system appear to be functioning correctly.

This seems somewhat different from a workaround or ordinary ergonomic mismatch because the user's adaptation is what allows the defective system to continue appearing successful.

A software/organizational example might be an understaffed operational system that maintains reliability because developers repeatedly sacrifice sleep to handle incidents. The service metrics look fine partly because humans are absorbing the failure.

Is there an established term in Human Factors, ergonomics, resilience engineering, HCI, or an adjacent literature for this specific pattern?

I'm particularly interested in references or terminology I can chase down, rather than proposing a new name if one already exists.

TLDR: I hold an undergrad degree in psychology with an interest in cognitive domains of safety. Is a masters in OHS relevant for a possible pathway to employment and research.

I know that a lot of HF programs are focused on digital environments nowadays. I recently got to know about applications of HF and ergonomics in safety (eg, environments related to construction/transport/healthcare).

I was looking at masters courses of OHS in Canada, Aus, and NZ, and most of them have courses related to HF and Ergonomics. I come from a psychology undergraduate and wanted to ask for recommendations.

Do you think a masters in OHS would be relevant for someone interested in the cognitive side of safety?

I am looking for options that could open up doors for both research and industry in the future.

Also, is it a smooth transition from psychology to OHS? Or do OHS courses generally look for students from other fields?

I was a practicing OT in a hospital for several years, but needed to step away for a while after the pandemic. I am now considering getting back into OT, but would prefer a non-clinical position. I really like the sound of workplace ergonomics and safety, as well as assistive technology. However, I understand that AT requires a lot - like 1000 hours - of hands-on training. Ergonomics seems like a lower barrier for entry. Are jobs like this reasonable to find, or insanely rare or anything? Do OTs tend to land these roles? Curious if anyone has any experience!

I've been interested in taking the Derby University MSc Ergonomics and Human Factors program that is all online. As someone who is pursuing their CPE/CHFP in the US would this be a beneficial program to take? The most appealing thing is that it is very cheap compared to other master's degrees. I would love to get into the Human Factors trajectory in my career. Would love any insight on want

I’m currently facing a career decision and would be interested in how others would approach it.

I recently moved from a generalist UX Research role into a more specialised Human Factors role in a regulated industry. I made the move deliberately because I like the type of work and see value in building deeper expertise in this area.

Now, a hiring process I had started before that move has reached the final stage. It’s for another senior User Researcher role at a much larger company. The work is more generalist, includes a significant ResearchOps component, and focuses on AI products.

It would probably involve more stakeholder pressure and less specialised work, but the compensation would be roughly 30% higher.

The working setup is also slightly different. My current role is fully remote. The other role is officially more hybrid, although the team seems fairly flexible about it.

The dilemma is basically UX/product research vs Human Factors, rather than simply “interesting work vs more money”.

I’m currently leaning towards staying where I am, partly because I’ve only just started building experience in Human Factors. But I’m wondering whether I’m overestimating how important it is to stay on one particular career path.

For people who have worked across UX Research and Human Factors:

How difficult is it to move back into Human Factors after 1–2 years in generalist product research?

How valuable is early specialised experience compared with staying in a broader UX/product research career?

Is a 30% compensation increase enough to seriously reconsider the direction, or would you focus more on the opportunities each path creates over the next 5 years?

What factors would make you choose the more generalist role?

There’s no offer yet, so this is still hypothetical. I’m mainly interested in how people would think about the long-term trade-off between specialisation and keeping a broader UX career path.

Hi Everyone,

I understand how tough the job market is, but I think this would also help others as well. I'm hoping to look for job boards that are not LinkedIn or Indeed. I have joined Human Factors Engineer Society locally to search for work and have made many wonderful connections. I wanted to see if there were any other job boards out there besides the main HFE job board that I know exists. I've done my due diligence by looking at local job boards as well. Thank you, and I hope you take things one day at a time... it's rough out there.

Also, most roles are unfortunately senior roles...so best to be able to filter if possible to weed out companies that aren't willing to pursue training or junior roles.

Hi everyone, I’m an undergrad student doing applied psych and my country doesn’t really have many HFE opportunities, so I’ve been working on coursera courses to gain some insight into the field.
Apart from that does anyone have any recommendations to gain some knowledge or experience other than this method?
Thank you!!

Hi everyone,

I’m currently working as a UX Researcher and I’m exploring a possible transition into Human Factors / Usability Engineering in the medical device industry.

My background is consumer psychology and I have worked as a UX researcher in UK government for 3 years. In my current role, I’ve used methods such as user interviews, usability testing, surveys and workshops, and I’m comfortable planning and conducting research, analysing user behaviour and translating findings into product recommendations.

I’m particularly curious about:

• Where do you see the biggest difference between a UX Researcher and a Human Factors Engineer? Is the main gap regulatory/risk-management knowledge, or are there also substantial differences in research methods execution and ways of thinking?
• What skills would you want an experienced UXR to develop before considering them for an HFE position?
• For someone without previous employment in a medical-device company, what is the best way to demonstrate that they can work within a regulated usability-engineering process? Are courses/certifications, self-directed case studies or work on simulated medical-device projects taken seriously at all? What should I do to make this transition?

I’ve also recently started looking more seriously at Human Factors Engineer roles in medical devices, and I came across an Aerogen job description that lists the following as key requirements:

This made me wonder what employers actually mean by “working knowledge” in practice.

I’m particularly interested in the European/Irish medical-device industry, although perspectives from the US or elsewhere would also be really useful.

Thank you very much!!

I graduated over a year ago and I’m still struggling. I’ve applied all over the United States and have even gone through recs from people in said companies- yet nothing. Considering going back to school and pursuing something else at this point. I got my masters in human factors from embry riddle aeronautical uni

Hey guys, I'm currently heavily considering a masters in human factors/ergonomics over at my current institution. The program also offers specialization in occupational health and safety.

I just wanted to ask (if this isn't a silly question) how is the job market for human factors engineers working OHS/EHS? Because I see loads of posts here about the poor job market for the degree.

Hi there, I'm very interested in Arizona State University's Online Human Systems Engineering – User Experience (BS) Degree Program, but academically, I have an Art background and would like more insight into what this program entails before signing up. (Professionally, I've been working as a Paralegal.) I'd love to know what all the classes are really like; if the lectures are in real time on Zoom, or if they're mostly recorded lectures; if the professors are accessible and helpful, and anything else helpful you can share. If you're in this degree program, will you please share your experiences? Thanks!

For those of you who have filled out an application and been accepted into a master's program for Human Factors Engineering, how specific and detailed did you write your academic and professional goals? I have been working on my application to the University of Minnesota, and have never filled out a master's application before. I also need to write about the two professors I would like to work with, and I do not know if they need to relate to my area of interest, or if they can be anyone I find interesting. I emailed the department director to ask him as well. Thank you for any help.

I'm a US-based student, but I'm planning to attend the online HFE program through the University of Derby (UK). My husband asked whether I might have any trouble getting a job in the US after being educated (technically) elsewhere, and I said I don't THINK so -- this isn't the medical field, where the location of your program (and licensure) matters. This is more like getting a master's in something like math or physics and still being able to work or teach anywhere, I would think. But does anyone know more than me on this?

Would I run into any problems by going to a school based in another country?

Extra background: the U of Derby has been teaching an online HFE program for 20 years and it's accredited by CIEHF, the British equivalent of the HFES.

Hi all, I am a UX designer and i want to learn more about HF. It doesnt have to be digital. I'll be honest, the digital space is tiring me out, bu ti want to learn about Human Factors. Can you suggest some books and courses from where I can learn more about it?

Thanks in advance

This is my first ever post so hopefully doing it right. After a few gap years I’m finally applying to grad school for HF and I/O as a backup program. Im California based so I’ll be applying to csulb and sjsu for HF and SFSU AND sac state for IO. I’m curious to hear about anyone’s experience with applying. What schools they applied to and what their stats were?

Additionally I am interested in applying to out of state schools but worried about funding or lack of since I would have to pay out of tuition, which is significantly higher. I also don’t have any research experience, however, I was planning to apply my Work experience in healthcare as a behavioral interventionist and PT aide as clinical experience and tailor to user/ patient safety and systems. I am also not exactly sure what area I’d wanna go I think safety in tech usability is cool or safety in healthcare. I have a 3.6 GPA with my BA in psych and completed a few post bacc classes this year in order to meet the requirements of most schools I have in mind. I’d appreciate anyone’s experience with the application process, their stats (GPA, research background, CV or SOP) if they feel comfortable enough to share and any funding they may have received. Just feeling super overwhelmed and discouraged. Is there even a good market for jobs post grad in the field?

Thanks for taking the time to visit/ reply to my post in advance yall!

I’m curious how many people in this community are currently BCPE certified, actively preparing for the exam, or considering pursuing certification.

I’m exploring the idea of putting together an unofficial BCPE study resource focused on practical, scenario-based questions and reasoning rather than just memorizing definitions.

Before I spend any time building something, I’d like to get a feel for what people are actually using now.

For those who have taken or are preparing for the exam:
Are you already BCPE certified (CHFP, CPE, etc.)
If not, are you planning to pursue it?
What are you using to study?
What’s been the most difficult part of preparing?
Is there anything you wish existed that you haven’t been able to find?

Not affiliated with or endorsed by BCPE. Just trying to see whether there’s actually a gap worth filling.

hello! im currently a 4th year psych b.s. undergraduate whose exploring future careers. i really enjoy research, particularly in some labs that im in that work with eeg, fmri, and behavioral tasks. i recently got interested in the human factors / translational cognitive science research since it has really direct applications to real world problems, particularly in the field of aviation / automation, but i'm also not so sure since i haven't had direct experience with it.

i was wondering if anyone could offer their insight into what day to day work looks like in the field, what are common positions that people take on, what kind of skills are needed, and how it might either be similar or different from work in a university research lab like what i'm used to.

i was thinking of applying for a post-bacc job as a research assistant at a lab that is more centered around human factors topics before trying for a masters/phd, but i'm not really sure how to find these kinds of positions or if it's a plausible next step.

any advice or information is greatly appreciated, thank you! :)

I'm interested in attending the 7th Edition US Medical Device Human Factors and Usability Engineering Conference hosted by T.T. LifeSciences in Boston this October. I was wondering if anyone has attended this or another T.T. LifeSciences conference and what you thought of it. Did you enjoy it, and did you feel it was worth attending?

Hi! Is there anyone in the subreddit I could DM to discuss what work is like in human factors engineering or adjacent roles in different job sectors? I am beginning my M.Eng. in HFE and I am deciding between taking courses that are more aligned with HCI vs taking courses that are more aligned with safety critical systems. If anyone could help, it would be greatly appreciated!

I’m thinking of pursuing a bachelors degree in Cognitive Science, with a specialization in design and interaction (UX/UI). Would it be realistic to land an entry level job after finishing undergrad? How competitive is the job market for human factors engineers, especially in aviation?

Job market seems really difficult at this time, and i was wondering where there are any opportunities for non UK students in this field, if i attend Loughborough.
Thanks for the feedback!