Synergetic Decision-Making: Analyzing the Interplay of Human Behavior and Physical Infrastructure in Emergency Evacuations via an Analytical Approach

Emergency evacuations involve a complex interaction between different stress-related factors (encompassing both human behavior and physical infrastructure) and associated responses. Utilizing the unity real-time development platform, this research examines these dynamics by exploring diverse aspects of evacuation, such as psychological traits and their interaction with physical infrastructure elements such as building layout, exit options, and crowd density. A single-story workspace at Marshall University was used as a case study. The findings reveal that individual human traits, behaviors, and interactions significantly impact evacuation success, often more than the physical infrastructure features themselves. Moreover, there is potential for the coupling effect where multiple stress inducing and/or reducing factors may act together and increase and/or decrease evacuation efficiency. In essence, this study underscores the complexity of human behavior under stress, emphasizing the importance of considering related factors in evacuation models to simulate realistic scenarios accurately. These insights, validated by subject matter experts for general applicability across various workplace setups, can help organizations enhance their emergency management strategies, resulting in more effective systems, better-prepared personnel, and more adaptive responses to different stressors.