The Role of Control Room Operators
Andrew Brazier
Principal consultant
Entec UK Ltd.
Gadbrook Business Park
Northwich, Cheshire CW9 7TN
01606 354866
[Link]@[Link]
[Link]
Creating the environment for business
Contents
What do control room operators do (in reality)
Ensuring they are able to perform their critical task
reliably
Ensuring their well-being
The impact of automation
The HSE/Entec Staffing assessment methodology
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Changes in the Control Room
New technology
More automation
Less people
More remote
A different job
– More passive
– More lonely
– More responsibility.
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What do Control Room Operators do?
Normal Situations
– Communication - face to face including Handovers
– Other communication - radio/telephone
– Administrative Tasks
– Eat meals
– Issue permits-to-work
– Training
Emergency situations
– Raise the alarm
– Notify emergency services
– Co-ordinate communication
– Keep the log
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HSE concerns
The ‘physical’ ability to detect, diagnose and recover
from scenario’s in time to prevent accidents
Willingness to initiate scenario recovery actions
Training, development, roles & responsibilities
Teamworking and the role of support staff outside of
the ‘normal’ team
Management of organisational change
Management of safety
Entec commissioned in 1997 to develop a method for
assessing the adequacy of staffing arrangements
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Focus on Emergency and ‘Upset’ Scenarios
= the worst case
Requires early detection
– searching, reading and monitoring displays
– hearing alarms
Diagnosis needs to be accurate
– consulting documents & colleagues
– thinking
Response needs to be efficient and effective
– using controls (in the field, in the control room)
– raising the alarm & mobilising emergency services
Working effectively under time pressure, threat of
harm in an unfamiliar situation
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Specification of the staffing assessment method
• Support duty holders in obligations to assess & manage risks
• Focus on loss of containment events with off-site potential
• Bring staffing issues into the open
• Be valid for the operational circumstances found in the
chemical and allied industries
• Enable duty holders to obtain a clear cut indication of
whether their staffing arrangements are unsafe
• Gauge the impact of staffing changes prior to implementation
• Practical, useable & intelligible to duty holders & inspectors;
− Not reliant on specialist skills
• Be structured and auditable;
• Facilitate dialogue between duty holders & inspectors.
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Assessment Methodology
PHYSICAL ASSESSMENT LADDER ASSESSMENT
YES NO
YES NO
– Decision trees – Individual and organisational factors
Method does not attempt to calculate a minimum or optimum number of staff
There may be technological options to improve staffing arrangements as an alternative to
an increase in operator numbers
It assesses staffing numbers plus how the arrangements are managed
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Carrying out an assessment
Workshops - similar to HAZOP
Methodology provides a framework for discussion
Assessment team consists of
– Facilitator
– Scribe
– Task experts (operators)
Report is the team’s assessment
Prioritised actions
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Assessing Changes to Staffing
Arrangements
Conduct baseline assessment of existing
arrangements
Evaluate impact of planned changes
Implement the change
Ongoing review and continuous improvement
Staffing assessment does not replace the need for robust
systems for managing organisational change
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Common themes (usually unrelated to
changes taking place)
Over reliance on informal training
Inadequate refresher training
Too many distractions in control rooms
– Nuisance alarms
– Visitors, contractors, day staff
No control on shift swaps, overtime etc.
Very passive approach to stress and fatigue
Poor management of the safety implications of
organisational change (including staffing levels)
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Psychological Wellbeing of Control Room
Operators
Allocation of function
Perception that work is meaningful and satisfying
Relationship with other people
Relationship with equipment
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Man against the machine
Humans are better at Machines are better at
– Detecting small visual or – Responding quickly to control
acoustic signals signals
– Perceiving patterns – Applying force smoothly and
– Improvising precisely
– Being flexible in approach – Performing repetitive tasks
– Exercising judgement – Handling highly complex
situations
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Nature of the Control Room Job
Features that make a job The Modern CRO
satisfying
Skill variety Lots of monitoring, not much
action
Task significance Lots of automation - CRO
responds when things go wrong
Task identity CRO responsible for large
number of plants/systems
Autonomy Minimal - working to very tight
specifications
Task feedback Aim is to avoid upsets and
incidents
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When Designing Automated Systems Do
You?
Identify the benefits of automating specific functions?
Ensure the automatic system functions correctly in
normal and abnormal situations?
Train operators to use the systems in normal and
abnormal situations?
Consider technical and human aspects as a single,
integrated system?
Assess the impact on human performance of
implementing automation?
Assess the potential psychological impact?
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Conclusions
Control Room Operator job has changed
Operating is more passive - but operators do a lot
more than just operate
HSE have concerns that changes are being poorly
managed
Staffing Assessment Methodology proven useful for
bringing issues into the open and identifying practical
solutions
Psychological well-being is also important
Staffing Assessment for automated plant
Creating the environment for business
References
HSE Contract Research Report
CRR 348/2001
– [Link]/research/crr_pdf/2001/[Link]
Energy Institute User Guide
– [Link]/humanfactors/staffing
Creating the environment for business
