Effective operator responses to deviations in process operation are critical to plant safety and profitability. However, designing operator effectiveness into a greenfields plant has proved challenging. Focusing on the role of the control room operator, this paper discusses the elements of operator effectiveness, the barriers to achieving this during the normal design process and a process that overcomes these challenges.

Large centralised control systems are intended to maximise operator situational awareness, but often have the contrary effect. Excessive alarm loading, absence of an effective process overview and excessive operator distractions are common problems. Guidelines developed by the Abnormal Situation Management Consortium and EEMUA in the UK have been successfully applied on many existing facilities and can lead to substantial improvements. For example, one study identified savings from more effective display design of over $800k p.a.

However, applying these principles when a plant does not yet exist can prove problematic. When designing a new facility, operating experience is not available for guidance, and the contractual process can be challenging. For example, the work of diverse subcontractors can often result in unintended high operator console alarm loading. Effective handover from design to operations can also be difficult.

To build in operator effectiveness from the outset, the operating company must “own” the process throughout the project. Based on the author’s experience, an effective design and implementation process that helps ensure operator effectiveness is presented. The paper also discusses the emerging role of operator training simulators for confirming operator effectiveness prior to commissioning.