Laboratory and Simulator Exercises cont'd

DOE-HDBK-1118-99

Exercises should be varied to provide an increased sample size of tasks in a given category

while still completing the required objectives. Some exercises should be administered to all

employees qualified to perform the task in order to assess the consistency of task performance

among those individuals or teams. Performance problems found during these exercises

should be considered when scheduling future training.

Evaluation of individual and team performance should be conducted periodically before

scheduling any continuing training to assess individual and team performance. This is to gain

a clearer picture of how the team would perform on the job and to determine the proper

frequency for continuing training on these tasks.

Laboratory and simulator training should reflect the actual facility environment as closely as

possible. Opportunities to apply the theory and fundamentals presented in lecture sessions to

actual hands-on training should be emphasized. Facility and industry operating experiences

should be used when developing these exercises because they provide examples of initiating

events, event sequences, and lessons learned. New exercises should be added periodically to

present personnel with varying situations. Exercises should be realistic and performed under

conditions that closely compare to actual conditions on the job.

Abnormal and emergency condition exercises should be started at varying conditions of

equipment status. These exercises should address events of various degrees of severity and

complexity caused by occurrences such as natural disasters, fires or toxic gases, human error,

and instrument or equipment failure.

The number of malfunctions/failures/faults for each exercise should be limited. An exercise

should contain no more than one major failure within the design basis of the piece of

equipment or facility system. In addition to a major failure, the exercise may include some

minor failures. Usually, one major failure and two or three minor failures should be sufficient to

test a wide range of objectives. Additionally, sufficient time should be allotted in the exercises

so they develop fully and realistically. Some exercises, however, may include multiple failures

to provide opportunities to assess individual and team ability to deal with these situations and

establish priorities for corrective actions.