Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
General principles
There are two major aspects of control room design that should be taken into account in the Safety Report these are: the suitability of the structure of the control room to withstand possible major hazards events; and the layout of control rooms and the arrangement of panels, VDUs etc to ensure effective ergonomic operation of the plant in normal circumstances and in an emergency.
Human factors/ergonomics
Operators should be able to demonstrate that appropriate human factors considerations have been given to the design, commissioning, and operation of control rooms under both normal and abnormal
hse.gov.uk//techmeascontrol.htm
1/6
10/11/2009
Maintenance
Adequate access should be provided so that inadvertent operation of equipment during maintenance is not possible. Behind panel equipment should be appropriately coded to reduce the potential for human error.
Thermal environment
Temperature and airflow should be adjustable. As a guide, comfortable temperature for office work should be between 18.3C and 20.0C with airflow between 0.11 and 0.15 m/s.
Visual environment
Lighting should be such that it does not create veiling reflections on VDUs or other reflective surfaces that require monitoring. The type of lighting should be adequate for the task. i.e. for office work a lux (lux is the unit of illuminance - measured using a light meter at the work surface) figure of between 500 - 800 is suggested. There should be no perceptible flicker from strip lighting. It is desirable to provide adjustable lighting for control rooms that are manned 24 hours a day. During night-time operation lighting is often dimmed. Windows in control rooms should not cause veiling reflections on reflective surfaces. Adequate means of blocking out direct sunlight should be provided.
Auditory environment
The average noise level within the control room shall not exceed 85 dB(A) during the length of the working day. For office work a noise level below 40 dB(A) is not desirable as it can cause interference between operators. Prolonged, very low or very high frequency noises should be avoided. Noise levels should not interfere with communications, warning signals, mental performance (i.e. be distracting).
hse.gov.uk//techmeascontrol.htm
2/6
10/11/2009
Alarms
All employees and contractors on site should know what each alarm means and what the required response is, if the cause of the alarm has the potential to affect them. An alarm should reset automatically if the fault that generated it is rectified. Alarm messages should be presented in a standard format, based upon existing conventions. Alarm messages should clearly inform the operator of the reason for the alarm. Following an alarm response required by the operator should be clear. The coding of alarms should not be based purely on colour, as colour blind operators will be unable to recognise what the alarm indicates. Alarm signals should be at least 10 dB(A) over the background noise of the control room. Alarms should not prevent effective communication within the control room. An alarm log should be provided to for diagnostic purposes. The design of the alarm system should prevent masking and flooding of alarms. Masking is where one alarm noise masks a similar sounding alarm preventing the operator from detecting the signal. Flooding happens when a system alarms which has a knock on effect on other related systems, the result of which is the triggering of myriad other alarms - flooding the control room with sound.
Coding techniques
Coding should follow international conventions. Arbitrary coding by operators can actually propagate, rather than mitigate, human error if not carried out correctly. Coding should be consistent across plant. Coding should be used appropriately. Example methods of coding are: Colour Flash Brightness Inverse video/highlighting Sound frequency Sound type Shape 2D/3D Symbols Coding should be used redundantly where colour is one of the coding methods.
Labels
Labelling should be used consistently across plant. Labels should be used appropriately. The relationship between labels and the equipment they refer to should be clear. Labels should be easily read. Standard abbreviations should be used where abbreviations are required.
Display devices
Display devices should be appropriate for the type of information they are presenting. Display devices should be grouped logically to improve signal detection. It is recommended that formal task analysis methods be performed to determine the optimum arrangement for displays and their associated controls. The relationship between a control and its associated display should be obvious. The operator should be able to easily understand display feedback. The response to this feedback should be obvious, wherever possible. The control method provided for navigation around displays should be appropriate for the task.
Graphics
hse.gov.uk//techmeascontrol.htm
3/6
10/11/2009
Easy to check whether data is within limits Possible to mark alarm limits Displays rate of change well. Easily compared to other similarly presented data. Provides at a glance appreciation of operating conditions Ideal for showing plant configurations. Can improve operator situational awareness of plant. Ideal for presenting continuously changing information. Presents rate of change in an easily understood format. Good for comparing data plots Provides historical data over time
Pictorial displays
Operators mental model of the plant may differ from the mimic. Can be very difficult to learn.
Trend displays
Inaccurate if numerical value has to be derived. Only four parameters can be displayed
Mimics should follow current conventions for symbols etc. Mimics should be user tested prior installation to ensure that they are compatible with the end users mental model of the plant.
Controls
Controls should be appropriate for their use. A table is presented below which provides guidance on the most appropriate controls for different tasks: Control operation Discrete Activate on/off Discrete Select three states Discrete Select multistate Continuous Set/adjust Continuous Control/track Exert Force Speed of operation Inherent visual feedback VG F VG VG F F G G P Pushbutton G Footswitch G Toggle switch VG Rocker switch VG Rotary selector P Knob Slider Joystick Thumbwheel Crank Handwheel Lever Pedal (pivot) Pedal (thrust)
VG
VG
VG
VG
VG
hse.gov.uk//techmeascontrol.htm
4/6
10/11/2009
Anthropometry Reach
Control desk/panels should conform to reach distances for the 5th percentile operator.
Seating
Seating should be anthropometrically sound and should be usable by both 5th and 95th percentile operators. Adjustment should be provided to allow the operator set up the chair to a configuration that is comfortable. Seating should not promote a slumped posture.
Posture
The workstation should be designed so that it allows the operator to regularly change their posture or move around the room. This should not however, be during primary control duties or during an emergency scenario.
hse.gov.uk//techmeascontrol.htm
5/6
10/11/2009
Further reading
Mecklenburgh, J.C., Process plant layout, George Godwin, 1985. Ball, P.W. Ed, The guide to reducing human error in process operations, The Human Factors In Reliability Group, The SRD Association, 1991. Pheasant, S., Bodyspace - anthropometry, ergonomics and the design of work, Taylor & Francis, London, 1996. Oborne, D. J., Ergonomics at work, Second Edition, Wiley, New York, 1989. Corlett, E. N. and Clark, T. S., The ergonomics of workspaces and machines - A design manual, Second Edition, Taylor & Francis, London, 1995.
hse.gov.uk//techmeascontrol.htm
6/6