ABSTRACT
The control room is the nerve centre of a nuclear power plant in that it is the place where most process commands are initiated and where most information on the process is received. In order to ensure a high level of safety and satisfactory operation of the plant, it is necessary for the control room to be perfectly tailored to the requirements of all its users. The Three Mile Island accident is just one example of how the improper adaptation of the control room to operating needs could result in unacceptable consequences. It can be seen that matching of the control room to its users must be an ongoing concern throughout the design process if one is to achieve valid control room ergonomics. This chapter examines the methodologies for ergonomic assessment as part of the design process for NPP control rooms. For the practical aspects of the assessment, standards either already published or at press can be referred to:
■ ISO 11064: Ergonomie Design of Control Centres; ■ IEC 964: Design for Control Rooms of Nuclear Power Plants; Supplementary
standard to the IEC 964: Nuclear Power Plants-Main Control Room, Verification and Validation of Design;
■ NUREG-0700: Guidelines for Control Room Design Reviews; Rev. 1: HumanSystem Interface Design Review Guideline,
3.2 Different Types of Assessment
The three major types of assessment are:
1 Verification, which checks first that the functional specifications comply with the design principles, and then that as it is built, the control room
matches the specifications. This verification therefore takes place in two stages, at two different phases of the design process.
