Cognitive Analysis of the Activity of the Panel Control Operators for Transference and Stockpiling in an Oil Refinery Plant and its Impact on Procedure Assurance

Introduction
The aim of this study was to evaluate the working conditions of control panel operators at the Transference and Stockpiling Area at a petroleum refinery through ergonomics and cognitive task analysis of work from October 2008 until November 2009.

Methods
Data was obtained through interviews, application of a questionnaire specifically designed for identification of demographic data of workers, free field observations, systematic observation of activities, video recording of groups of operators. A timeline graphic was designed in order to represent visually the systematic observations, which enabled further chronological analysis of activities.

Results
As a result we were able to determine that the complexity of the activity performed by control panel operators is dependent on the simultaneity of events and variability of transfer operations and stockpiling, which should be adjusted according to the many demands of the dynamic processes involved in these operations.

Discussion
The constant demands of attention and concentration needed to interpret the information, so that diagnostic procedures and event anticipation are correctly performed are fundamental for decision-making tasks which ensure the integrity of operations and the delivery of products to clients according to established quality criteria and in a timely fashion. Collective work was fundamental for these diagnostic procedures, allowing for adequate cooperation, collaboration and coordination activities among control panel operators, the working crew and other areas related to the different production processes. In addition, dysfunctional operations and other difficulties related to the correct use of informatized support systems and equipments, communication devices and support to operational tasks require that control panel operators take regulatory measures to circumvent interruptions, repetitive work and the constant temporal demands, all of which can affect the reliability of operations as a whole. Finally, recommendations based on these findings were issued and validated.