Observation was made of 12 process operatives during 96 hr. on a continuous process for electrolytic treatment of steel. Results allowed decision points to be specified and flow charts to be devised for operatives' tasks. The content analysis was accompanied by an examination of the frequency distribution of job activities, giving a comparison of numbers of interpersonal, intra-team activities to man-machine activities and testing the possibility of consistent patterns. The findings suggest an approach to training, with emphasis on the similarity between maintenance, repair and process monitoring tasks.
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