2022 Update: Industrial Manufacturers Are Forced To Achieve More! (With Less People!)

As we move into 2022, we are happy to report that over 100 companies have worked incredibly hard in the past 20 years to convince management to invest in human factors. This is not an easy undertaking. We have seen several engineers remove their hats to pull their hair with frustration. To an engineer; near misses, exceeding operating limits, and watching operators running the process in manual tells a story. That story is very clear, we can do better! We have to do better! 

But where do we center our efforts to achieve “better”?

 It has been studied and reported that company’s operating costs are increasing. Many would believe that the majority of operating costs come from maintenance, utilities, and equipment management. However 82% of the money goes to payroll; the workers. Yep, you heard that right - the people are the highest cost. Of course they are a critical component but… 

 Are they that important?

 They make decisions and perform tasks 24/7 and are an absolute required asset to the operation. Upper management must reduce costs. It is no surprise they want to find a way to meet their objectives and often look to achieve this with less people. Often these decision makers are steered to a technology solution to replace people. Humans seem to pose a higher risk, are hard to predict, and can make decisions that are hard to measure. They are also very expensive!

 Many engineers believe that we need to focus on automation, to optimize the process, and increase the number of loops an operator can handle. They want to develop solutions like "Safe Park" (the easy button for returning the operation to a more conservative state when something abnormal happens) this always occurs when we are running at top speed. Some plants have been able to implement “safe park” but the cost is extremely high and it takes a long time to see the results. The engineering complexity requires higher-costing professionals to maintain the new technology based system as well as engineering solutions that require outside expertise and new technology. This type of project can get very expensive and risky. It is evident from past experience, investing in technology can often come back to bite you in the end. A Frankenstein creation of smart logic becomes a maintenance nightmare and a high risk proposition, as it requires human input and an exhausting analysis of potential failures.

 Current projections based on the last 20 years say the near future of industrial operations is not going to be a technological feat that reduces or replaces the human worker. The reality is we absolutely need humans and we need to reduce operational costs now more than ever. Many operational planners are starting to focus on human performance. Acknowledging human limitations and asking questions like; If I can improve human performance, can we do better - achieve more - reduce risks and accomplish the long goal with less people? Can I lower costs by investing in the human element, the worker and how well they perform? Can I increase human performance from an average 88% output to 95% and even 100% human output? How can I improve human performance and reduce the risks that human reliability poses on the operation?

 Knowing the majority expense of operating is absorbed by the staff, poses an obvious question: Is it not logical to optimize this asset - to get as much out of it as you can? Our findings answer this question with a ‘yes’. With the right approach and outside help you can increase and improve human performance. This requires an integrated human factors methodology that examines the operational culture, worker behavior, and the user interfaces they use. To improve human performance you have to assess, address, and manage human behavior and identify why they do what they do. The human element, your people, are the most expensive and valuable asset you have. You spend time and money maintaining your car. How much time and money have we specifically invested in addressing human limitations, human strengths, and specifically analyzing your operator’s need for complete situation awareness? An over-simplified, yet important question representing this is: What is the condition of the chair they are sitting on right now?

 For entertainment purposes, imagine your car is your business and gas is your cost. You want to drive twice the distance with the gas you have in the tank. The obvious solution would be to eliminate the need for gas. Say an electric replacement or engine conversion is too expensive and you have no choice but to use the gas you have for the next 10 years. Since you're already paying for it, why not invest in improving your gas to increase your traveling distance? A car requires gas just like your operation requires people. What if you could travel twice as far for less than you're paying now by adding a little boost juice to your gas? Your competition may be doing just that; adding a boost to human performance. We are seeing this across the globe and we are seeing a reduction in waste, maintenance, energy, turnover time, and asset costs. The most visible return we see after a project is the reduction in time the process is running outside the ideal operating envelope and the increased time running at optimal levels. The second thing that is obvious is operator moral and gratitude. Moral is a critical human factor that is directly related to safety and profit. Do not under estimate the impact moral has on day to day decisions.    

 Our customers are looking at "human-performance" and "error-free" task management as an alternative to a technology concentrated solution. They are doing this by assessing situation awareness, abnormal situations, job task performance, operator workloads, worker competence, supervision requirements, user interfaces like alarms and operator displays, video and audio integrated work stations with large screen overviews of critical processes. All of which are related components that must be interconnected into the design of the control room. This is called an “Integrated Human Factors Solution”. For error free task management we see our customers developing "how to do the job right - every time" programs known as "Conduct of Operations and Operational Discipline". These programs have a director and start with leadership alignment, documentation, and training. This is something Ian Nimmo, the president of UCDS has been doing for over 30 years.

 The companies that are getting the most out of human performance are the ones that have appointed an internal "Operations Performance Improvement Leader" who works closely with outside industrial experts in “Human-Factors” and “Operator Workload Management Specialists”. Check out www.mycontrolroom.com for additional information.

 Internal appointed "Operations Performance Improvement Leaders" are successful when they integrate a human factors / human behavior program with the following guidelines:

•  Inserting newly developed documented standards for operational tasks based on clearly defined roles - responsibilities - and objectives
• Providing classroom training with visual aids to ensure responsible decision making during abnormal operations
• Installing operator management systems software to aid during routine tasks and decision making to reduce variances in human performance between workers and shift teams. Identifying the right tools: Software can help with complacency and enforce compliance with a documented standard
• Assessing tasks to identify risks of human error and working with industrial experts to mitigate those risks (Operator Task and Workload Assessment)

Companies are putting real performance systems in place that use technology, not as a replacement, but as an aid that will reduce human error. Technology that is user centered is designed to be error resistant. A performance boost for the human to perform at a higher and safer level requires discipline, tools, support, and a great understanding of human limitations. Also, an expert that knows all the best practices being used successfully in the control room and the field. When a human performance based program is implemented successfully, management is happy to see that they were right. They can do more with less people. This is true only if “THEY” do this right. 

Take a look at the High Performance 5-step integrated Human Factors Control Room Methodology: www.mycontrolroom.com

Steve Maddox: Business Development Manager: Operator Centered Control Room Solutions: www.mycontrolroom.com 512-630-3401 smaddox@mycontrolroom.com