Focus On Error Factors In The Control Room Urged By Industry Veteran

Charles Alday is a man on a mission to raise familiarity in pipeline companies of the human factors that can combine to produce extraordinary pipeline operations.

He carries a hard-won perspective gained from working 30 years with Colonial Pipeline in roles as diverse as utility man and construction worker to operations manager.

He was closely involved in investigations and changes the company made after its “organizational accident” at the Reedy River in 1996. He was a member of the Colonial team charged with the job of eliminating errors, spills, leaks and accidents. That work led to his devotion to the discipline of human factors. He says human factors studies is simply the study of the interaction of people with their environment, equipment, computers, procedures, and other people. He says the discipline of human factors is not well known in the pipeline industry, and he enjoys introducing new ways to improve performance.

P&GJ: What are some of the challenges you are working on today in reducing human error in the control room and controlling pipeline leaks and spills?
Alday: There is a proverb, Chinese I think, that one should “repair the roof before it rains.” I believe it is much better to prevent errors and accidents than to be forced to address the serious consequences after a major accident occurs. Through the years, I have observed that most companies prefer to wait until the roof is beyond repair. As a result, there are much greater costs to the company.

One of the things I have noticed, through the years, is that companies do not want to pay adequate attention to human error. When they do, the savings in product quality costs, reducing unscheduled shutdown, and preventing equipment damage are significant.

The primary tactic used for human error is “blame and train.” Training is not always effective in reducing human error. I believe in providing people tools for the toolbox, then teaching them how to use those tools to reduce errors and prevent leaks.

A very real challenge is the issuing of a final rule from PHMSA that is directly related to reducing human performance that might contribute to pipeline leaks and spills. This “Control Room Management” rule has specific requirements for pipeline companies with control rooms and controllers, as defined in the rule. Each company has to develop a “human factors management plan” that meets requirements for addressing human fatigue, defining roles and responsibilities, providing adequate communications between controllers and others, managing changes properly, addressing shift change procedures, managing alarm systems, and ensuring training and procedures on these issues and others. This rule will likely be issued in its final form by the end of 2009. I have been working on those issues since the late 1990s, when I was a manager at Colonial Pipeline Co.

One challenge I am working on is helping people understand what a human factors management plan should include. There are other human factors areas that can improve operations, even if they are not in the rule. Sometimes companies have a “compliance only” mindset, when they need to have an operational excellence mindset. The plans do not have to be complex, but they need to demonstrate a commitment to excellence and increased controller competence.