A Study on the Operator Performance According to the Drastic Change of Illumination Level and Lighting Environment of Control Room in Nuclear Power Plants

Objective: This study describes the change of operator performance in drastic change of illumination level, and proposes an alternative method to cope with it. Background: The control standard of illumination for nuclear power plants(NPPs) is based on the set of limit criteria for maintaining a specific illumination level. However, there is a possibility to cause human errors according to the psychological and physiological influences to operators in the situation of drastic change of illumination such as SBO(Station Black Out), so a basic study is necessary to review the current approach. Method: We assessed the visual fatigue, subjective work load and task performance according to the three illumination situations(Normal Illumination, Emergency Illumination, and Drastic Change of Illumination). Result: Research finding shows that there are not significant differences in task performance between normal illumination (1,000lx level) and emergency illumination (100lx level), only if beyond the dark adaptation limit. However, subjective work load on mental demand and visual fatigue show a potential challenge to visual performance in drastic change of illumination. Conclusion/Application: Several trials can complement this challenge in NPPs by applying 3-way communication, enhancing readability of procedures, and managing the visual factors affecting the operators' performance through a Visual Environment Management Program including visual health aspects, etc.