Simulator-based Human Factors Studies Across 25 Years: The History of the Halden Man-Machine Laboratory

The Halden Man-Machine Laboratory (HAMMLAB) has been at the heart of human factors research at the OECD Halden Reactor Project (HRP). The HRP is sponsored by a group of national organizations, representing nuclear power plant regulators, utilities, and research institutions. The HRP is hosted by the Institute for Energy Technology (IFE) in Halden, Norway. HAMMLAB comprises three full-scale nuclear power plant control room research simulators. The simulator studies performed in HAMMLAB have traditionally been experimental in nature. In a simulator it is possible to study events as they unfold in real time, in a highly realistic operational environment under partially controlled conditions. This means that a wide range of human factors issues, which would be impossible or highly impracticable to study in real-life settings, can thus be addressed in HAMMLAB. Simulator-based Human Factors Studies Across 25 Years celebrates the twenty-fifth anniversary of HAMMLAB by reviewing the human factors studies performed in HAMMLAB across this time-span. A range of human factors issues have been addressed, including: • human-system interfaces; • alarm systems; • computerized procedures; • human-automation interaction; • staffing, teamwork and human reliability. The aim of HAMMLAB studies has always been the same: to generate knowledge for solving current and future challenges in nuclear power plant operation to contribute to safety. The outcomes of HAMMLAB studies have been used to support design and assessment of nuclear power plant control rooms.

Ann Britt Skjerve holds a Bachelor of Art (Psychology), Master of Art (Psychology) and a PhD (Psychology) from the Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark. She joined the Institute for Energy Technology (IFE) in 1997, and currently holds positions as Principal Scientist and Deputy Division Head in the Industrial Psychology Division. Ann Britt has been working with a broad range of applied human factors issues within the domains of nuclear power plant operation, train traffic control and petroleum production, both in terms of laboratory-based studies and in consultancy settings. Her main research interests include human-automation interaction, facilitating team performance, teamwork training of distributed teams, and usability assessments.

Andreas Bye holds an MSc in Engineering Cybernetics from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway. He joined the Institute for Energy Technology (IFE) in 1989, where he is currently Head of the Industrial Psychology Department. Until 2001, he worked in the Computerized Operation Support Systems Department at IFE on topics including alarm systems and function allocation. His current professional interests include human and organizational factors for industrial safety, human reliability, and the use of empirical human performance data to support probabilistic safety assessment.