The use of a simulator to include human factors issues in the interface design of a nuclear power plant control room

Technology plays an important role in advanced control rooms that relies on complex technical equipment and interfaces. Human error has many causes such as performance shaping factors, organizational factors and interface design. In the safe operation of nuclear power plant, the performance of the control room crew plays an important role. In this respect, a well-designed control room and human–system interfaces (HSIs) are crucial for safe and efficient operation of the plant, reducing the occurrence of incidents, accidents and the risks of human error. Therefore, it is essential that the interfaces design must be conducted in a well-structured way, applying human factors principles in all phases of the control room life cycle. The aim of this paper is to present an approach to design the interfaces for a nuclear reactor control room. The methodological framework includes human factors guidelines and standards, checklists and ergonomics as an aid tool, based on the operator activity analysis. In this paper, we describe the application of the proposed methodology in an advanced control room of a nuclear power plant simulator.