Several years ago the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) enacted the following regulations in response to some large scale pipeline incidents:
§ 192.631 Control room management
PHMSA published the Control Room Management/Human Factors final rule in the Federal Register on December 3, 2009, which became effective on February 1, 2010. The agency actually had given a long implementation period for these requirements but moved them up due to the continuation of accidents. Although NOT required for control rooms that monitor and manage PSM/RMP covered process(s), there is a lot that we can take from this safety standard. We are always looking for some type of guidance when it comes to “human factors” safety and this is an EXCELLENT starting point.