(13c) Operator Errors and What Can be Done to Minimize

Evidence has shown that errors by operators account for the highest average dollar loss per major incident. The J & H Marsh & McLennan company reports that operator errors account for the average loss of over $80 million dollars per major incident and number two on the list is not even close. The Chemical Safety Topical Committee sponsored by the U.S DOE tells us that there is an average of one chemical incident per day with a cost of over $2 million per incident to comply with requirements. This cost estimate does not account for other direct or in-direct costs such as repairs to equipment, facilities, injuries to personnel, or interruptions of service and production limitations in quality or pounds.

A significant number of the issues identified as responsible for many of the operator errors are those we make for ourselves. This happens through the prolific configuration of alarms that annunciate at critical times. Unfortunately, the majority of these annunciating alarms are redundant or unnecessary. Many of the errors that remain can be attributed to using operator graphics that forces the operator to juggle multiple faceplates.  These items add significantly to the workload and end up confusing the operator at critical times and this leads to errors. This presentation will discuss these two key causes of operator error and what can be done to minimize their impact.