Citation

Liu Y, Gao Q, Wu M. Ergonomics 2022; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/00140139.2022.2079727

PMID

35608031

Abstract

Excessive mental workload reduces operators' performance and threatens the safety of nuclear power plants (NPPs) in severe accident management (SAM). Given the lack of suitable mental workload measurement methods for SAM tasks, we proposed a Domain- and Task-Analytic Workload (DTAW) method to predict SAM workload. The DTAW method is developed in three stages: scenario construction based on work domain analysis, task analysis, and workload estimation with eight workload components scored through task-analytic and projective methods. To demonstrate its utility, we applied the method to construct two SAM scenarios and predict the mental workload demand of operators in these scenarios as compared to two design basis accident scenarios. With statistical analysis, the DTAW method can predict the overall subjective workload rated by NPP operators, be used to identify high-load tasks, cluster tasks with similar workload patterns, and provide direct implications for improving SAM strategies and supporting systems.

Language: en

Keywords

nuclear power plants; severe accidents; task analysis; workload