Results of control-room annunciator-systems evaluations

Annunciator systems in nuclear power plants tax the operator's ability to cope with large amounts of information. Conventional annunciators do not provide the information in an acceptable way for efficient response, but computer-generated CRT displays have the potential for rectifying this situation. A multidisciplinary team of human factors engineers from EG and G Idaho conducted a study to (a) identify problem areas in reactor control rooms associated with annunciator display systems, (b) provide specific and generic solutions to the problems identified, and (c) provide recommendations and direction for future improvements and research focused on the man/display interface from a human factors engineering perspective