Tom Stewart receives Key Ergonomics Award

Tom Stewart of System Concepts has received the Fellow Award from the International Ergonomics Association (IEA) in recognition of the outstanding contribution he has made to the field of ergonomics worldwide, particularly his key role in the development of international standards. The award was presented at the opening plenary session of the 15th Triennial Congress of the IEA, which took place in Seoul, Korea, 24-29 August.

Stewart began his career as a founder member of the Human Sciences and Advanced Technology (HUSAT) Research group at Loughborough University, and, in 1986, he became managing director of System Concepts, one of the largest independent ergonomics consultancies in Europe. He has served as an adviser to a number of national and international bodies including the UK Health & Safety Executive and the World Health Organisation.

Since 1983 he has been a key player in British (BSI), International (ISO) and European (EN) ergonomics standards culminating in his work on ISO 13407 Human Centred Design Processes for Interactive Systems launched in 2000.

As project editor for this particular standard, Tom took a lead role in its development. He was also convenor of the Working Group which developed it and chair of the Sub-Committee which is formally responsible for it.

Since its inception, there has been considerable international interest in ISO 13407 and it has been a significant influence behind new guidelines recently published by the UK Cabinet Office to make government websites easier to use: "Quality Framework for UK Government Website Design".

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