Human reliability impact on inservice inspection. Review and analysis of human performance in nondestructive testing (emphasizing ultrasonics). Volume 2

Technical Report · Sat Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1986

OSTI ID:5833588

Triggs, T J; Rankin, W L; Badalamente, R V; Spanner, J C

This report documents a review of the research literature in the human factors, nondestructive testing (NDT), and related areas that was conducted to develop an understanding of how human performance in NDT can be improved through the application of human factors principles relating to task, training, procedural, individual difference, and environmental variables. A secondary purpose of this project was to develop a satisfactory measure of performance that can be applied in NDT. The report begins with an overview of NDT with special emphasis on ultrasonic testing for inservice inspection (UT/ISI) regarding intergranular stress corrosion cracking (IGSCC). Then, the strengths and weaknesses of typical measures of performance accuracy are discussed. Signal detection theory is then presented, and it is recommended that the relative operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, which follows from signal detection theory, be adopted for specifying human performance in NDT. Human performance in NDT and NDT-related areas is then discussed with respect to the five types of variables outlined above. This study strongly suggests that NDT technician performance could be improved through the systematic application of human factors principles within the framework of ROC analysis, especially in the areas of task, training, and, to a lesser extent, procedural variables. 215 references.

• Research Organization: Battelle Human Affairs Research Center, Seattle, WA (USA); Pacific Northwest Lab., Richland, WA (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC06-76RL01830
• OSTI ID: 5833588
• Report Number(s): NUREG/CR-4436-Vol.2; PNL-5641-Vol.2; BHARC-400/85/016-Vol.2; ON: TI86008835
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
220000* -- Nuclear Reactor Technology
ACOUSTIC TESTING
HUMAN FACTORS
IN-SERVICE INSPECTION
INSPECTION
MATERIALS TESTING
NONDESTRUCTIVE TESTING
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS
PERFORMANCE
PERSONNEL
POWER PLANTS
RELIABILITY
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
TESTING
THERMAL POWER PLANTS
TRAINING
ULTRASONIC TESTING