Dr. Alan D. Swain III (Nov. 21, 1923 – Nov. 2, 2021) was a human factors engineer who specialized in weapons systems and nuclear power plants. He was a Distinguished Member of Technical Staff at Sandia National Laboratories, where he developed the technique for human error-rate prediction (THERP).[1] According to a bibliometrics analysis performed in 2020, Swain is the most highly cited author in the field of human reliability analysis.[2]

Swain co-authored the Handbook of Human Reliability Analysis with Emphasis on Nuclear Power Plant Applications,[3] which became a basic guide for many in the human factors field.[4]

Education

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Swain graduated from Marion Harding High School in 1941. He received an MA in 1948, and a Ph.D. in psychology in 1953, from The Ohio State University.[1]

Career

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Swain served as a radioman-navigator in the United States Navy during World War II, from 1942 to 1945.[1]

In 1961, Swain joined Sandia National Laboratories as a human factors engineer.[1] At Sandia, Swain developed the technique for human error-rate prediction (THERP), and collected human performance data for the Sandia Human Error Rate Bank (SHERB).[5]

Awards

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Swain was a Fellow in the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES).[6]

In 1984, Swain received the HFES Jack A. Kraft Innovator award[7]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Dr. Alan D. Swain III". Green Valley News & Sahuarita Sun. Retrieved 2022-10-02.
  2. ^ Hou, Lin-Xiu; Liu, Ran; Liu, Hu-Chen; Jiang, Shan (2021-02-01). "Two decades on human reliability analysis: A bibliometric analysis and literature review". Annals of Nuclear Energy. 151: 107969. doi:10.1016/j.anucene.2020.107969. ISSN 0306-4549. S2CID 228851532.
  3. ^ Swain, A. D.; Guttmann, H. E. (1983-08-01). "Handbook of human-reliability analysis with emphasis on nuclear power plant applications. Final report". doi:10.2172/5752058. OSTI 5752058. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  4. ^ "Sandians take new approach to studying human failure in engineered systems". LabNews. Retrieved 2022-10-02.
  5. ^ Boring, Ronald L. (2012-06-01). "Fifty Years of THERP and Human Reliability Analysis". Probabilistic Safety Assessment and Management (PSAM11),Helsinki, Finland,06/24/2012,06/29/2012. Retrieved 2022-10-02.
  6. ^ "Fellows | HFES". www.hfes.org. Retrieved 2022-10-02.
  7. ^ "Award Recipients | HFES". 2022-01-03. Archived from the original on 2022-01-03. Retrieved 2022-10-02.