Mark Dohrmann, Mark Dohrmann & Partners Pty Ltd - Applying Human Factors in Control Room Design

Dohrmann Consulting Pty Ltd www.ergonomics.com.au 1 11/4/2014

Dohrmann Consulting Pty. Ltd. Engineers & Ergonomists 11 March 2014

Ergonomics in control rooms




Successful control rooms work efficiently and reliably -

n  In normal situations n  In unusual situations n  In emergencies n  during outages n  at startup


What is the secret?

n Strong technology n A thoughtful, clear-sighted design process n Recognising that humans are at the centre n Following user-centred processes



What things go wrong?

Examples …

n Operators can’t get a full overview n Not enough space n Difficult to navigate n People walking through n Communications difficult when busy n Tiredness n Many more …….


Ergonomics

n  “Fitting work to people” n The mission: to make a control room safe,

comfortable and productive


Human factors (ergonomics) considers … n  peoples’ size n  their shape n  postures n  tasks n  vision needs n  hearing and noise n  comfort over time n  fatigue and its causes n  social and communication needs, n  the whole physical environment n  work routines and systems n  … and more.





Control room process should follow two concurrent streams:

n Technical n Human factors

… and integrate them as they progress



ISO 11064

n  “Ergonomic Design of Control Centres” n  7 parts n Parts published from 1999 - 2013


Excellent control rooms exploit human abilities and avoid human weaknesses.


Vision and lighting

n  30% cone for primary attention n  Gaze angles selected to suit neck postures n  Display distance > twice the display height n  Visual accommodation, convergence, depth of

field





Space, fit and reach

n Percentile limits n Reach n Elbow room n  Legs n Shoulders n Can they see?



11/4/2014 25 Dohrmann Consulting Pty Ltd

www.ergonomics.com.au



Adjusting chair for correct working posture


Workstation Layout

Reach Zones


Seating, consoles, furniture

n Muscles need movement n Support, not softness n AFRDI rating n Sitting and standing






Air, temperature, noise

n Activity levels n Heat sources n Draughts n Speech masking


Communications

n Distractions n Visitors n Noise levels n Simplicity n Training exercises





HMI (Human machine interaction) … massive amounts of literature and advice

n  System status should be visible (“situation awareness”)

n  System should match the real world n  Keep user control (undo, back out)

n  Ensure consistent symbols, layout, icons, colors n  Rely on recognition, not recall


HMI (Human machine interaction) … continued

n  An efficient design (eg shortcuts for the experienced)

n  Embed error prevention (or “Confirm?” if needed)

n  Aesthetic – minimalist design is best

n  Ensure error recognition, diagnosis, recovery n  Provide HELP - and clear documentation


Maintenance

n Access n Manual Handling n Downtime





Control rooms: ergonomics summary

Physical n  Equipment & Furniture n  Layout n  Console design Environmental n  Temperature n  Air flow n  Noise n  Lighting n  Housekeeping

Psychosocial n  Work load n  Repetitive tasks n  Realistic task expectations n  Job content n  Job control n  Organisational support n  Team relationships n  Training


“Everything that is designed is used by a human being …” n  Dohrmann Consulting Pty Ltd:

¨ www.ergonomics.com.au ¨ [email protected] ¨ 03 9376 1844