|
Availability of qualified personnel. Assessed the availability
of qualified personnel to conduct nondestructive evaluation (NDE)
tasks in nuclear power plants, through the year 2010. NDE tasks are
those tasks such as electromagnetic testing of steam generators tubes
and ultrasonic examination of reactor pressure vessels that are critical
to the safe operation of plants. The study addressed the concern of
the nuclear power industry about the future availability of the NDE
workforce--that there may be a gap between the personnel required
for NDE tasks and the workforce available to meet these requirements.
The results served as the basis for the development and implementation
of interventions to assure that personnel requirements are met. The
study was conducted under the guidance of representatives of the nuclear
industry and inspection service companies. Details can be found in
the article: Harris, D. H., Spanner, J. C. Jr. and Turnbow, M. L.
(2001, November). Nondestructive Testing Workforce Availability. Materials
Evaluation, 59, 1281-1284. (EPRI)
Emergency Response Information System (ERIS). Evaluated graphic
displays designed to provide nuclear power plant control room operators
with critical plant data during off-normal events. Recommended design
refinements for improving display usability. Outlined additional considerations
that might affect usability of the displays. (General Electric Company)
Performance test of the Emergency Response Information System
(ERIS). Conducted a dynamic human factors engineering review and
performance assessment with nuclear power plant crews during simulated
power plant transients. Assessed crew responses with and without the
use of ERIS graphic displays. Provided recommendations for improving
color codes, display formats, labels, keyboards, and operator-system
dialog. (General Electric Company)
Nuclear plant decommissioning. Developed a series of risk analyses
concerning the decommissioning and dismantlement of the Shipping port
Atomic Power Station Performed a Management Oversight Risk Tree (MORT)
analysis prior to each significant evolution in the decommissioning
operations to ensure that all necessary actions for preparing people,
property, and procedures was completed. Worked on a team with engineers
from the following disciplines: radiological control, health physics,
nuclear power plant management, quality assurance, decommissioning
engineering, and program management. Developed several methodological
refinements to the MORT technique. (General Electric Company)
Human factors implementation procedures. Conducted a
human factors review of three implementation procedures that will
be used in the construction of Advanced Boiling Water Reactor Plants.
Procedures involved task-function allocation, human-machine interface
evaluation, and system operation and training. Provided more than
30 specific recommendations for improving the technical accuracy,
precision, clarity, and usability of the three procedures. (General
Electric Company and Tokyo Electric Power Company)
Safety Parameter Display System (SPDS) evaluation. Designed
an evaluation of the SPDS, a computer-based system designed to aid
operators of nuclear control rooms during abnormal or emergency conditions.
Defined test events, develop performance measures, developed a test
matrix, and collected and analyzed data. (General Electric and Sandia
National Laboratories)
Nuclear waste retrieval system. Developed a methodology for
the analysis of human factors issues (particularly human error assessment)
and the incorporation of human factors principles in the design of
systems for the recovery of stored nuclear waste. Provided system
design methods, design criteria, and a computer-based system for analyzing
task-to-failure sequences. (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory)
Proficiency evaluation of maintenance personnel. Surveyed nuclear
power plants to determine existing methods and instruments for the
evaluation of the proficiency of mechanics, electricians, and instrument/control
technicians. Analyzed the requirements and constraints for a complete
evaluation system, with special emphasis on the relationships between
proficiency evaluation and training needs. Developed a handbook as
a resource document for maintenance managers and training managers,
with modular discussions of issues, problems, information, and solutions.
The major sections of the handbook discuss test content, objectives
and requirements, evaluation methods, specific evaluation instruments,
and procedures for task qualification. (Electric Power Research Institute)
Decision support system for pump maintenance. Created
a computerized system that will aid plant personnel in making critical
decisions about main coolant pump (recirculation pumps and reactor
coolant pumps) operation and maintenance. Investigated alternative
designs for the decision support system and produced a prototype concept.
Prepared the system specification, developed the system, and conducted
a trial implementation at a volunteer plant. (Electric Power Research
Institute)
On-the-job training guides. Developed 70 On-the-Job Training
(OJT) guides that encompass the major tasks currently performed by
workers in the mechanical maintenance department of Calvert Cliffs
Nuclear Power Plant. OJT guides contain procedural information that
is used by first-line supervisors to direct and evaluate the work
of less experienced workers. Guides were drafted and then revised
based on interviews with experienced mechanics and feedback from pilot
tests after the guide had been implemented in the field. (Baltimore
Gas & Electric Co)
Training equivalency determination tests. Developed 40 specialized
tests of maintenance proficiency, called Training Equivalency Determination
(TED) tests. TED tests are designed to give rapid feedback to supervisors
concerning a trainee's current level of task proficiency. The tests
pinpoint specific knowledge/ skills/abilities deficiencies and diagnose
the type of remedial training that is needed. Psychometric analyses
of the TED tests has showed them to have high interrater reliability
and predictive validity. (Baltimore Gas & Electric Co)
Proficiency evaluation system for maintenance personnel. Working
from the results of previous research on proficiency evaluation of
maintenance personnel in nuclear power plants, determined the needs
and weaknesses in the evaluation system at two plants. Designed appropriate
test instruments and communication networks so that valid data on
proficiency is used most effectively for training and work assignments.
Implemented the evaluation system, monitored its development, and
evaluated its effectiveness. (Electric Power Research Institute)
Maintenance performance in pump and valve overhauls. Develop
two sets of interventions--a customized hand-held computer and a set
of laminated job cards--to be used by mechanics and other maintenance
personnel during the performance of centrifugal pump (e.g., the main
feedwater and condensate booster pumps) and valve (e.g., gate and
globe) repairs. The interventions were designed to improve on-the-job
proficiency, reduce errors, and improve task knowledge. (Electric
Power Research Institute)
Monitoring the performance of maintenance organizations. Specified
the components of maintenance performance measures; defined the dimensions
of maintenance organizational performance; constructed and analyzed
measures based on data obtained from participating nuclear power plants;
recommended a set of methods and measures most likely to meet the
requirements of maintenance organizations; and developed a guidebook
for maintenance managers in nuclear power plants. (Electric Power
Research Institute)
Reduction of errors by maintenance personnel. Identified a
"target" set of maintenance tasks for which (a) performance
by maintenance personnel in US and Japanese nuclear power plants is
currently error-prone, and (b) error reduction potential is high.
Identified a set of feasible, cost-effective interventions for each
target task. Identified target tasks by reviewing existing archival
data bases on maintenance errors, conducting structured interviews
with personnel at selected power plants, and conducting telephone/mail
surveys of a larger number of plants. (Electric Power Research Institute)
Virtual Operator Training and Qualification. Developed a virtual
system for the training and qualification of operators in the application
of NDE techniques. The virtual system provides electronically-created
substitutes for the real spaces, materials, events, and functions
involved in NDE examinations. By augmenting existing systems for the
training and qualification of NDE operators, the virtual system can
lead to: 1) more complete diagnostic measures of operator performance,
providing better guidance for improvement of operator capabilities,
2) more detailed and timely feedback of NDE examination results during
practice and testing, 3) greater precision and control in the development
and administration of operator practice examinations and performance
testing, and 4) reduction in the overall costs of training and testing
(Electric Power Research Institute).
Dynamic Inspection Aptitude Test (DIAT). Developed and
validated the DIAT to predict success on inspection jobs that require
the combined aptitudes of general cognitive ability, abstract reasoning,
and spatial visualization. The test is computer administered and scored,
requiring 36 minutes of testing time. Validation studies showed that
the test is highly reliable, correlates with other measures of these
key aptitudes, and is predictive of the job performance of nondestructive
testing operators. Validation results indicated that the test can
be used with confidence for the early identification of individuals
who will benefit most from training and experience on certain inspection
jobs. For more information please see: Harris, D. H. and Spanner,
J. C. Jr. (2001, April). Dynamic inspection aptitude test: A measure
of aptitudes required for nondestructive testing. Materials Evaluation,
59, 507-511. (EPRI)
Performance Testing Guidelines. Developed performance testing
guidelines for the nuclear power industry. The product of this was
a document designed to provide information and guidance to managers
and specialists involved in the development and use of performance
testing for the qualification of personnel in critical technical jobs.
The document provides information on the prescreening of candidates,
characteristics of a useful test, selection and preparation of test
tasks and materials, methods of defining and scoring grading units,
test administration, pretesting the test, evaluation and selection
of grading units, and the estimation of confidence limits for test
results. The document was prepared in parallel with ongoing programs
to develop and validate performance tests for the qualification of
personnel (Electric Power Research Institute).
Computer -Based Training and Testing. Developed, in conjunction
with nuclear power technical experts and computer specialists, a computer-based
system for the training, testing, and qualification of technical personnel.
The self-paced instruction and performance testing system had the
following features: 1) training incorporating dynamic demonstration
and practice on actual job tasks, 2) individualized construction of
knowledge and practical performance tests from pools of test grading
units, 3) retesting based on oversampling of deficient areas of job
knowledge and practical skills, 4) automatic test scoring, and 5)
a statistical module for the capture of testing data and the analysis
of test reliability and grading-unit characteristics (Electric Power
Research Institute).
Assessment of Performance Demonstration Program. Planned and
conducted an assessment of a steam generator nondestructive evaluation
(NDE) performance demonstration program. The performance demonstration
was designed for the qualification of personnel who analyze eddy current
data for pressurized water reactor steam generator tubing in nuclear
power plants. Thirty-two analysts from nuclear utilities and inservice
inspection vendors participated in the assessment. Measures of technical
knowledge, and of detection and sizing performance relative to indications
attributable to different damage mechanisms were obtained from written
and practical performance tests. Estimates of difficulty and discriminability
were obtained for each item in the pool of written test items and
for each of over 1,000 grading units in the data sets for the practical
performance tests. Assessments of training and qualification procedures
were obtained from observations and participant (Electric Power Research
Institute).
Human factors in inspection and testing tasks. Analyzed tasks
performed during the monitoring of nuclear power plant integrity,
such as ultrasonic examinations of pipe welds, eddy current examinations
of steam generator tubes and functional tests of valves. Developed
a methodology to analyze tasks; defined task design deficiencies;
and recommended a program of research to enhance the accuracy and
reliability of task performance. (Electric Power Research Institute)
Information processing in ultrasonic inspections. Assessed
the effect of human information processing on the ultrasonic detection
of cracking in pipe welds in nuclear power plants. Obtained performance
measures and tape-recorded commentary from each of 139 inspections
of pipe-weld specimens. Identified nine different information processing
factors that were correlated with inspection performance. Applied
stepwise multiple regression to identify the four factors that were
most predictive of inspection success. Found that when these factors
were present, inspection success rate was 400% greater than when they
were not. (Electric Power Research Institute)
Inspection decision aids. Developed and evaluated a decision
aid to overcome human limitations in information processing and decision
making during ultrasonic examinations of pipe welds in nuclear power
plants. Designed a decision aid to provide a means of noting signal
characteristics as they were observed and of presenting them simultaneously
for decision making. Incorporated the aid into worksheets employed
during training to conduct practice examinations. Found the success
rate for aided examinations to be 25% higher than that for unaided
examinations. (Electronic Power Research Institute)
Steam generator inspection performance. Assessed the accuracy
of eddy-current data analysis of steam generator tubes in nuclear
power plants. Obtained individual and team performance measures from
independent analyses of data from 1619 locations in a sample of 199
steam generator tubes containing 92 reportable indications of four
different types. Assessed analysis performance in terms of percentages
of indications correctly reported, percentages of false reports, and
relative operating characteristic curves. Identified factors influencing
performance and provided implications for performance improvement.
(Electric Power Research Institute).
Strategy-based inspection training. Developed and evaluated
strategy-based training for the ultrasonic examination of pipe welds
in nuclear power plants. Modified an existing eight-day training course
on the detection of cracks in pipe welds so that instruction was geared
to the prescribed examination strategy rather than to the existing
modular instructional approach. In defining the prescribed strategy,
capitalized on previous research that defined optimal approaches to
human information processing during ultrasonic examinations. Strategy-based
training resulted in a significant increase in course pass rates.
(Electric Power Research Institute) |
|