Abstract
The ever-expanding demand for containerized freight shipping, the competition
between container terminals to secure an increasing share of the market,
also often by maximizing worker productivity and performance, is generating
work loads that often reduce safety margins. The demand for highly specialized
tasks aimed at enhancing operator performance in terms of number of containers
moved creates conditions where human error frequently poses a threat. The
simulator is a valuable tool for operator training as it allows to achieve
and control over time the required level of performance of portainer operators
without affecting container terminal productivity, as it is not necessary
to temporarily remove equipment from service. Here we have analyzed, from
the human factors perspective, the results achieved during crane operator
training courses, carried out with the aid of a simulator. The objective
of the study was to determine the principal correlations between the variables
identified as being of the greatest significance in describing the tests
and trainee performance and the parameters influencing crane operator activities
within his work cycle: These parameters can be represented by means of
the simulated activities and by the parameters considered in the design
of training programmes. Furthermore, multiple correspondence analysis enabled
to identify the main risks to which the operator is susceptible and which
conditions increase the possibility of hazardous circumstances arising.
The results of an analysis of this kind lay the groundwork for simulator
design, pinpointing those human factors aimed at determining the role and
importance of each performance parameter in triggering operator fatigue
and human error.