Human Reliability, Error, and Human Factors in Power Generation

Human reliability, error, and human factors in the area of power generation have been receiving increasing attention in recent years. Each year billions of dollars are spent in the area of power generation to design, construct/manufacture, operate, and maintain various types of power systems around the globe, and such systems often fail due to human error. This book compiles various recent results and data into one volume, and eliminates the need to consult many diverse sources to obtain vital information. It enables potential readers to delve deeper into a specific area, providing the source of most of the material presented in references at the end of each chapter. Examples along with solutions are also provided at appropriate places, and there are numerous problems for testing the reader’s comprehension.

Chapters cover a broad range of topics, including general methods for performing human reliability and error analysis in power plants, specific human reliability analysis methods for nuclear power plants, human factors in control systems, and human error in power plant maintenance. They are written in such a manner that the potential reader requires no previous knowledge to understand their contents. “Human Reliability, Error, and Human Factors in Power Generation” will prove useful to many individuals, including engineering professionals working in the power generation industry, researchers, instructors, and undergraduate and graduate students in the field of power engineering.

Dr. B.S. Dhillon is a professor of Engineering Management in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Ottawa. He has served as a Chairman/Director of Mechanical Engineering Department/Engineering Management Program for over 10 years at the same institution. He is the founder of the probability distribution named Dhillon Distribution/Law/Model by statistical researchers in their publications around the world. He has published over 364 {(i.e., 217( 70 single authored + 147 co-authored) journal and 147 conference proceedings} articles on reliability engineering, maintainability, safety, engineering management, etc. He is or has been on the editorial boards of 12 international scientific journals. In addition, Dr. Dhillon has written 40 books on various aspects of health care, engineering management, design, reliability, safety, and quality published by Wiley (1981), Van Nostrand (1982), Butterworth (1983), Marcel Dekker (1984), Pergamon (1986), etc. His books are being used in over 100 countries and many of them are translated into languages such as German, Russian, Chinese, and Persian (Iranian).

He has served as General Chairman of two international conferences on reliability and quality control held in Los Angeles and Paris in 1987. Prof. Dhillon has also served as a consultant to various organizations and bodies and has many years of experience in the industrial sector. At the University of Ottawa, he has been teaching reliability, quality, engineering management, design, and related areas for over 33 years and he has also lectured in over 50 countries, including keynote addresses at various international scientific conferences held in North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. In March 2004, Dr. Dhillon was a distinguished speaker at the Conf./Workshop on Surgical Errors (sponsored by White House Health and Safety Committee and Pentagon), held at the Capitol Hill (One Constitution Avenue, Washington, D.C.).

Professor Dhillon attended the University of Wales where he received a BS in electrical and electronic engineering and an MS in mechanical engineering. He received a Ph.D. in industrial engineering from the University of Windsor.