Abstract
This paper presents a simulator study investigating two research questions: Will physical location of a shift technical advisor (STA) affect 1) nuclear power plant crew performance? 2) the fulfilment of expected STA duties? Two of six planned crews participated before the travel restrictions from Covid-19. Each crew run through six complex scenarios lasting for 40–60 min. The location of the STA varied as follows: 1) seated right next to the shift supervisor at the same workstation 2) at a separate workstation in the same room as the crew, 3) at a separate workstation in a separate room. Process expert ratings and operator self-ratings indicated a better crew performance when STA was located in condition 1). Furthermore, process expert ratings indicated that the STA performed his expected duties better when located in condition 3), while the operators preferred the STA to be located in condition 1).
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Skraaning, G.Jr.: A Reanalysis of the Work Practice Experiments in HAMMLAB (2009–2014). HWR-1194. OECD Halden Reactor Project, Halden, Norway (2016)
Kaarstad, M.: Spontaneous grouping in teams. HWR-1267. OECD Halden Reactor Project, Halden, Norway (2019)
Blickensderfer, E., Cannon-Bowers, J.A., Salas, E.: Theoretical bases for team self-correction: fostering shared mental models. J. Adv. Interdisc. Stud. Work Teams 4, 249–279 (1997)
Paris, C.R., Salas, E., Cannon-Bowers, J.A.: Human performance in multi-operator systems. In: Hancock, P.A. (ed.) Human Performance and Ergonomics, pp. 329–386. Academic Press, San Diego (1999)
Wurster, F.: Nuclear Power Plant Control Room Teamwork - What It Is and What Is Needed. LinkedIn, October 2018. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/nuclear-power-plant-control-room-teamwork-what-frank-wurster-p-e-
NRC: NRC action plan developed as a result of the TMI-2 accident. NUREG-0660. U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, D.C. (1980)
NRC: Clarification of TMI action plan requirements. NUREG-0737. U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, D.C (1980)
NRC: TMI-2 lessons learned task force status report and short-term recommendations. NUREG-0578. U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, D.C. (1979)
NRC: The role of the shift technical advisors and importance of reporting operational events. IE Circ No. 81-04. U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, D.C. (1981)
NRC: Experience with the shift technical advisor position. NUREG/CR-3396. U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, D.C. (1984)
NRC: Policy Statement on Engineering Expertise on Shift (Generic Letter No. 86-04). U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, D.C. (1986)
Clarke, D.M.: Human redundancy in complex, hazardous systems: a theoretical framework. Saf. Sci. 43, 655–667 (2005)
Kirwan, B.: A Guide to Practical Human Reliability Assessment. Taylor & Francis, London (1994)
Westerman, S.J., Shryane, N.M., Crawshaw, C.M., Hockey, G.R.J., Wyatt-Millington, C.W.: Cognitive diversity: a structured approach to trapping human error. In: Rabe, G. (ed.) Safe Comp 95, pp. 142–155. Springer, London (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-3054-3_11
Braarud, P.Ø., Brendryen, H.: Task demand, task management and teamwork. HWR-657. OECD Halden Reactor Project, Halden (2001)
Hart, S.G., Staveland, L.: Development of the NASA task load index (TLX): results of empirical and theoretical research. In: Hancock, P.A., Meshkati, N. (eds.) Human Mental Workload, pp. 139–183. North-Holland, Amsterdam (1988)
Braarud, P.Ø., Eitrheim, M.H.R., Fernandes, A.: “SCORE” - an integrated performance measure for control room validation. In: Proceedings of the Ninth American Nuclear Society International Topical on NPIC & HMIT (2015)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2021 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this paper
Cite this paper
Kaarstad, M., Nystad, E., McDonald, R. (2021). Location of the Shift Technical Advisor Role in Nuclear Power Plant Scenarios - Impact on Performance. In: Ayaz, H., Asgher, U., Paletta, L. (eds) Advances in Neuroergonomics and Cognitive Engineering. AHFE 2021. Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems, vol 259. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-80285-1_34
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-80285-1_34
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-80284-4
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-80285-1
eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)