A number of conditions may limit the effectiveness of an alarm or warning. These should be taken into account when planning or evaluating an alarm system. In general, a multi-modal is less likely to be missed.
Parameter
Interfering Condition
color
color blindness
text
visual impairment
flash frequency
can be missed during a passing glance if frequency is too slow
symbol
not understood or illegible
language
not understood or illegible
technical language
not understood
sound
deafness, earphones or earplugs
vibration
peripheral neuropathy
light emitting or required for reading
light or power out
sound emitting
defective sound generator
electricity required
power outage
meaning
cognitive or intellectual impairment
A simple outage of an alarm or warning system can have devastating consequences. A simple light bulb could have saved the Andrea Doria.
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