How do operators monitor a complex, dynamic work domain? The impact of control room technology

This article describes part of a research programme whose goal is to develop a better understanding of how operators monitor complex, dynamic systems under normal operations. In a previous phase, field observations were made at two older nuclear power plant control rooms (CRs) consisting primarily of analogue, hard-wired instrumentation. In this phase, additional field observations were conducted in a newer computer-based CR to determine the impact of CR technology on operator monitoring. Eleven different operators were observed in situ for a total of approximately 88 h. The findings indicate that there are many similarities in the monitoring strategies adopted by operators in the two types of CRs. However, in most cases, these same strategies are performed using different behaviours, thereby showing the shaping effect of the CR technology. A new way of conceptualizing the difference between traditional analogue CRs and modern computer-based CRs is proposed.