This paper also described a Markov model which is used to
quantify the impact that an insufficient SAhas on the probability
and development of major incidents. The results of simulations
performed with this model clearly show that situation awareness
is a key factor in preventing the propagation of an electrical
failure. These results also show that a higher degree of alertness
and awareness is required as system stress increases, because the
probability of cascading events due to operator errors increases
significantly. An illustrative example is presented, which provides
a step-by-step description of a blackout development and
the impact of insufficient SA at each step.
The quality of the analysis presented in this paper depends
on the fidelity of reliability data, in particular and ,
for the probability evaluation of the Markov states. Different
techniques for evaluating operators’ performance and gathering
the reliability data required for such analyses are discussed in
this paper. The illustration of the proposed methods in cooperation
with electrical utilities will enable the determination of
the data required in SA-related reliability studies in power systems.
This would help quantify the risk introduced to the system
by operating errors and contribute to the development of future
decision-support tools, which will minimize the probability of
human errors in power system control rooms.