To err is human, to control is crucial

´When a control room operator in a nuclear power station places his hand on the control switch, and begins to withdraw the reactor control rods, he has more power in his hands than a captain opening the throttles of a 747 for takeoff or the NASA engineer who ignites the booster rockets in a space shuttle launch´ (Z. T. Pate). This paper discusses the importance of the control room operator with respect to human performance. It discusses British Energy´s Human Performance Foundation Training Course which is aimed at raising the awareness of human performance failures, setting clear operational standards and identifying error-prevention techniques for use by control room staff. It covers eight areas which are discussed in the paper: introduction to human performance; operational conduct and self checking; communications; choosing behaviour; shiftworking and alertness; situational awareness; decision making; and high-performance team skills.