SUMMARY Five profoundly mentally retarded cerebral‐palsied children were studied in order to determine the effectiveness of music as a biofeedback mechanism in the training of head control. The method used a Head Position Trainer and Time Event Counter, developed at the Ontario Crippled Children's Centre in Toronto. Improvement was obtained in three of the five children in their ability to control their head movements when music was used as the biofeedback stimulus. However, these results should be treated cautiously because the sample was small and the training period was brief. RÉSUMÉ Cinq enfants IMC arriérés profonds ont étéétudiés dans le but d'apprécier l'effet de la musique comme mécanisme de biofeedback dans l'apprentissage du contrôle de tête. La méthode a fait usage du Trainer de position de la tête et du Compteur Temporel d'Evénements, mis au point à l'Ontario Crippled Children's Centre de Toronto. Une amélioration dans la capacité de contrôle des mouvements de la tête, à partir d'un stimulus de biofeedback musical a été obtenue chez trois des cinq enfants. Cependant, ces résultats ne devraient étre utilisés que prudemment dans une application générate aux enfants IMC, l'échantillon étant petit et la période d'entrainement brève. ZUSAMMENFASSUNG Fünf geistig schwer retardierte Kinder mit Cerebralparese wurden untersucht, um den Erfolg von Musik als Feedback Mechanismus beim Erlernen der Kopfkontrolle zu überprüfen. Die Methode beinhaltete die Verwendung eines Head Position Trainers und eines Time Event Counters, die im Ontario Crippled Children's Centre in Toronto entwickelt worden waren. Bei drei der fünf Kinder konnte durch Musik als Biofeedback Stimulus eine deutliche Verbesserung ihrer Fähigkeit, die Kopfbewegungen zu kontrollieren, erzielt werden. Die Ergebnisse sollten jedoch zurückhaltend beurteilt werden im Hinblick auf die Gesamtpopulation der Kinder mit Cerebralparese, da die Untersuchungsgruppe sehr klein war und die Trainingsperiode kurz. RESUMEN Cinco niños con parálisis cerebral y retraso mental profundo fueron estudiados con el objeto de determinar la eficacia de la música como mecanismo retroactivo en el aprendizaje del control de la cabeza. El método utilizado es el del entrenamiento de la positión de la cabeza y el contador de acontecimientos en el tiempo, fué desarrollado en el Centra de niños inválidos de Ontario en Toronto. Se obtuvo una mejoría en tres de los cinco niños en su habilidad para controlar los movimientos de la cabeza cuando se utilizaba la música como estímulo retroactivo. Sin embargo, estos resultados deberian ser tratados con cautela al considerar el conjunto de la población de niños con parálisis cerebral, puesto que la muestra era pequeña y el período de entrenamiento breve.

Background. Due to the challenge of conducting observations of drilling team behaviours on an offshore installation during actual operations, a high fidelity simulator provided the opportunity to observe team behaviours when managing complex and uncertain situations. Aim. This article describes how such observations were used to develop a team behavioural marker framework subsequently used for debriefing. Method. Team behaviours and interactions were recorded during 25 simulator-based training exercises which had been integrated into a technical training course. These were then analysed, and four dimensions, with example behaviours, were identified. Results. The behavioural markers formed the basis of training objectives, and provided structure for debriefing team performance. The use of the simulator provided concrete examples of both effective and ineffective behaviours. Conclusions. Notable improvements in drilling team interactions and behaviours were noted over the course of five exercises, which ranged in complexity and uncertainty, throughout the training course. Enhancing team non-technical skills will lead to safer and more effective performance, and facilitate the transfer from training to actual operations. Team members also became more familiar with the concepts and terminology of non-technical skills and integrated behavioural markers into workplace practices such as Tool Box Talks, Stop Work Authority, and Time-Outs.

This chapter describes the current status of expertise development in nuclear power production and oil & gas facilities, for both routine operations and emergency response. These are two examples of industries characterized by continuous operation, high hazard, and complexity, where operators must have the capability to monitor systems and respond to potential threats. Both industries rely heavily on written procedures and procedural compliance, along with an awareness that unanticipated and often unprecedented events can emerge. Emergencies in these industries are extremely rare yet on-site operators must be able to make the shift from their routine operational role to responding to escalating situations. Directed training is frequently used to enhance operator expertise in the absence of actual experience, with simulator-based exercises increasingly being introduced. The chapter summarizes existing research into the content and format of the skills required by operators in these settings and highlights potential areas for future investigation.

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This paper presents a team behavioural marker framework that categorises and defines team-based non-technical skills which are then used to observe, record, and debrief team performance. Some oil & gas companies have proactively taken steps to address non-technical skills by introducing training courses, aimed either at individuals or teams. Ideally, such courses incorporate simulator-based exercises so that attendees can put into practise the theories of non-technical skills described in the classroom. Post-exercise feedback, based on a formal behavioural marker framework, of observations of team performance is essential to reinforce non-technical skills. A team behavioural marker framework has been developed from evidence gathered from observations of 25 simulator-based exercises involving drilling teams, each with between eight and 14 team members including Drillers, Assistant Drillers, Toolpushers, Drilling Supervisors, Mud Engineers, Mud Loggers, and Cementers. The observations were classified into four categories: Team Situational Awareness, Teamwork and Communication, Team Decision Making, and Team Workload and Stress Management. Examples from each category were then sub-divided on a four-point scale ranging from ‘exceeds expectations’ to ‘well below expectations’. The framework has subsequently been tested out during observations of simulator-based exercises with drilling teams from different companies and has been found to be a valuable tool for debriefing and feedback purposes. Moreover, due to the opportunity to practise the integration of non-technical skills into tools and techniques, such as Tool Box Talks, Stop the Job, and Safety Briefings, as experienced during the exercises, the skills can be reinforced in the workplace. One of the challenges of improving safety by focusing on individual non-technical skills is that individuals may attend a course and return to the workplace intending to put new tools or techniques into practise. However if there is little understanding or appreciation of the skills by other team members, then such intentions can rapidly fade. One of the major benefits of team-based training, exercising, and debriefing, is that the actual team can reinforce expected behaviours on site. The framework can also be used to review team performance following both routine and non-routine operations.