Redesigning a control room from an ergonomic point of view : a case study of user participation in a chemical plant

A field study in a chemical industry was conducted to redesign a control room with panel instrumentation into one with visual display units (VDUs). The authors had been asked to advise the project team and to participate in the application. First, a general evaluation of the central control room (CCR) was carried out, covering all the ergonomic aspects and involving all the operators. Secondly, follow-up studies were formulated and carried out. In thi s chapter the approach of the field study is presented. The results mentioned are the layout of the new control room, the lighting, and the redesign of the information presentation on the VDUs by using a user-oriented procedure. A redesigned graphic display is shown. By regrouping and recoding the dynamic and structural process information displayed on the screens, a reduction of 30% in required memory capacity of the system was achieved leading to a cancellation of the planned upgrade of the system, which saved the company $US30 000. Finally, an evaluation of the project and its results was carried out after 3 1/2 years. The most important results are presented