Stress in the control room: effects and solutions [nuclear power plants]

Stressful situations occur whenever there is a substantial imbalance, either real or perceived, between the demands of a situation and an individual´s ability to handle those demands. Abnormal and emergency conditions, power plant outages and start-up activities can all be periods of significant operator stress. If not managed effectively, stress can have deleterious effects on operator performance, including impairments of memory, attention, communication patterns and a tendency to perform activities as if under time pressure. Specific impairments of operator performance are identified. Current intervention strategies and emerging challenges for stress management in nuclear power plant operations are discussed by the author