Work-related stress and control-room operations in nuclear power generation

During the UK Public enquiry into the construction of the Sizewell B nuclear power station, the appointed Inspector Sir Frank Layfield drew attention to the ‘stress problem’:

(I) would be grateful for a clearer picture, in due course, of what one may call the stress problem-in the sense that I think we all recognise that if we take two quite different people with the same technical professional or any other sort of training, when the going becomes very difficult, the time when it really matters, one will perform well and the other may not (Sizewell, Day 197, 1984).