Human-machine design issues in control rooms

Despite technological advances in the design of control systems, the human operator remains an essential, though vulnerable, component of the human-machine system. The consideration of human factors issues in the design process must include both the limitations and needs of the operator, as well as the management of human-computer dialogue in the flow of control. This paper reviews human factors requirements of both engineering design and organisational practice, primarily from the point of view of the human operator working in highly automated control systems. These issues are considered within the context of three related themes, which address the problem of the match between the design of human-computer systems and the information processing constraints and requirements of the human operator. These are: i) information management; ii) the operator´s mental model of the system, and iii) situational awareness. These may be seen to be limiting factors in the maintenance of safe, productive operational levels in complex human-machine systems