Information and communications security management ergonomic assessment to evaluate unsafe behaviors

ABSTRACT

Introduction:

This report consists of a case study on the unsafe behavior of employees of a Federal Public Administration Institution from the Ergonomics perspective. Thus, from the understanding of the concepts of Information Security and the Ergonomic Approach, we seek to identify the main factors that lead the subject to assume behaviors that put the institution's Information Security at risk when performing their daily work activities.

Methods:

The data were collected through observations of the work in real conditions, considering its variability, the work situation and the instruments used to carry out daily activities. Interviews were also carried out in the work context to assist the researchers in understanding the employees' behaviors.

Results:

There were identified cases in which the difficulty in following the institution's safety recommendations is related to a conflict existing in the work organization itself.

Conclusion:

The present study points to an issue that requires further study in the literature: the conflict in the work prescription itself. This may be one of the factors responsible for the difficulty of people in behaving safely in Brazilian public institutions

KEYWORDS:
User behavior; Ergonomics; Information security