Relationship Between Arousal and Technical Performance in the Oil and Gas Sector: An Investigation Using a Simulated Well Control Scenario

The present paper summarizes the results of a study investigating the relationship between arousal, as reflected by cardiovascular responses, and technical performance in a simulated well control task. As part of a certification exam at the end of a training session, pairs of rig operators (drillers) and supervisors were involved in a role-play exercise using a simulation equipment, while the electrocardiogram (ECG) signal was recorded from rig supervisors with the Polar H10 device. During the scenario an anomaly in well operations occurred and supervisors were required to adopt specific procedures to restore pressure containment. Our results showed that heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) measures differently reflected the changes in the demands imposed by the different phases of the simulated task and highlighted the need to integrate the assessment of technical skills with workload and arousal assessment to increase the effectiveness of training procedures.