Human performance measurement: issues and challenges

The author outlines several theoretical and practical issues that must be resolved if credible human performance assessment systems for nuclear generating stations are to be achieved. Theoretical issues involve mechanisms of human behavior, performance indicators, performance measures and logic models. Practical issues involve objective safety criteria, objective performance data, sampling and validation. Each issue is defined and its present states of resolution is discussed. Initiatives of the US regulatory authority, designed to address some of these issues, are introduced. Issues not yet addressed by those initiatives are also identified. The author concludes that there may be room for cautious optimism for achieving credible human performance assessment systems in the near future through direct cooperation between the US regulatory authority and the nuclear industry.<>