Re: [foxboro] Colour Blind Operators

 

We are a four service public utility (electric, gas, water &wastewa= ter).

Recently, our instrumentation &control specialists have be= en meeting to
discuss standardizing colors and graphics.   We're tryin= g to deal with
color blindness by requesting that all operator graphics inc= lude text to
show states like open/closed, on/off, running/stopped, out of = service and 
in transition.

To the best of my knowledge, we don'= t test employees for color blindness. 
We don't know if someone is col= or blind, unless they tell us.

It was interesting to find that just w= ithin our five water treatment
plants, we don't have a standard scheme for = colors.  I've seen valve open
condition represented by red, green and = blue.  If an operator or
technicianhas to temporarily fill in at anot= her facility, then color
blindness wouldn't be the only issue, you'd have t= o know what state the
colors represent.  In an emergency situation, th= at could cause some
confusion.  There doesn't appear to be an accepted= industry standard by the
different vendors that have supplied our equipmen= t and graphics over the
last 30 years or so.  Even the physical motor = controller centers and valve
controllers aren't standardized on indicator l= ens colors. 

Wally Magda

Instrumentation &Control Speciali= st

Colorado Springs Utilities

719-668-9500

wmagda@xxxxxxx= 


kirk.d.carver@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent by: foxboro-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
= 03/26/2002 12:24 PM CST
Please respond to foxboro

To: foxboro@xxxxxxxxxxx= rg
cc: 
bcc: Subject: Re: [foxboro] Colour Blind = Operators




I am c= olorblind (technically I am shade-blind, as I CAN tell the
difference
if= given the right lighting conditions and time to decipher), as were
seve= ral of my operators at the previous facility where I worked.  The
wors=t
colors for me (and most of my fellows) are the darker reds, blacks, gr= eens
and browns.  Yellow stands out like a sore thumb, as do most b= lues, from
other colors.  Orange is great too.  Shades of grey= with black are
wonderful.

This subject is a frustration for us "bandwidth challenged" peo= ple, as
most
others don't think about the fact that their coworkers migh= t not be able
to
see the emphasis they have put on text/graphics by usin= g color.  Sometimes
it's funny, sometimes it's rude, sometimes you = find a way to deal with it
mutually.

My past facility was a pre-merger Mobil site, and my coworkers = we
cognizant
of the fact I could not see the colors they could.  Th= ey took the extra
time to bold/italicize instead of coloring items for m= y benefit.  I
appreciated it, and we joked about it alot.  The= end result was that we
worked well together.

I recently transferred to a heritage Exxon site, and= the attitude is far
different.   My colorblindness, even when I br= ing it up, is ignored...
literally.  Subsequently, this lack of res= pect has made it hard to work at
the new site.  There are other iss= es involved, but this is a key indicator
of culture difference.

What am I trying to say?  Well,= I commend you for at least taking the time
to look into possible soluti= ons.  Your operators will thank you (even if
not to your face) and = your workplace will be better for it.

So how do you find a fix that doesn't involve millions of man-hou= rs of
retrofit?  I don't know a panacea, but I found grey-scaling t= o be very
helpful (I miss my b&w Macintosh!) Also make sure the diff= erences in color
are significant enough for colorblind people (I remembe= r on the version of
I/A we ran, there were two choices for blinking red.=  One was obvious, the
other was not).

Again, the fact that you are looking into this is great,= and I will be
interested in seeing what other input you get.
= 
Kirk


---------------------
Kirk Carver
ExxonMobil Chemic= als IS
Ph: 281-834-0565
Fax: 281-834-1937
BTCP,  CAB CN-462Internet Address: kirk.d.carver@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx



            &nb= sp;      "Williams, Dave G
      &nb= sp;            SUKOP-CME/72/04"   &= nbsp;       To:    
"'FoxboroDCS Mail List'&= quot; <foxboro@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
          =          <Dave.G.Williams@ope.     &n= bsp;cc:
                  =  shell.com>                = Subject:     [foxboro]
Colour Blind Operators
    =                Sent by:
  =                  foxboro-bounc= e@freeli
                 =  sts.org



&nbs= p;                  03/26/02 1= 0:33 AM
                  =  Please respond to
            &nbsp= ;      foxboro






Does anybody on the list have experience of dealing = with operators who
have
difficulty discriminating between colours. &nbsp= ;On our current project we
have
a
number of Operators who have diffic= ulty distinguishing between some
colours.
Ideally I would like to set= up a different palette for each operator which
he could then load a the= start of each shift.
I would be interested to here how others had solve= d this problem.



Dave= Williams
Snr Power and Control Engineer
Shell UK Oil Products Limite= d
Stanlow Manufacturing Complex, PO Box 3, Ellesmere Port, South Wirral = CH65
4HB, United Kingdom

= Tel: +44(0)151350 4480 Fax: 4566 Other Tel: +44 (0)7799 657836
Email: da= ve.g.williams@xxxxxxxxx
Internet: http:= //www.shell.co.uk[1]



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