EEI SOPD Practice Test 9

Shift Turnover and the Operating Log

¹A control center never closes, so responsibility for the power system passes from one operator to the next at every shift change. The moment of turnover is one of the riskiest parts of the day. Information that the outgoing operator carries only in memory can be lost, and the incoming operator may act on an old picture of the system. A careful turnover routine, built around a well-kept logbook, prevents that loss.

²The operating log is the official record of the shift. Each entry begins with the time and states what happened, what action was taken, and who was contacted. Operators write entries as events occur rather than at the end of the shift, because details fade quickly and a late entry may get the order of events wrong. Entries are never erased. If an entry contains a mistake, the operator draws a single line through it, writes the correction, and initials the change so that the original wording can still be read.

³About thirty minutes before the shift ends, the incoming operator reads every log entry made since that operator last worked. The two operators then walk through the current state of the system together: equipment out of service, lines carrying heavy loads, work crews in the field, and any switching that has been planned but not finished. The incoming operator asks questions until the picture is clear.

⁴Turnover is complete only when the incoming operator states that he or she accepts the shift and both operators sign the log. Until then, the outgoing operator remains in charge. If an emergency begins during turnover, the turnover stops. The outgoing operator handles the event, with the incoming operator assisting, and the turnover starts again once conditions are stable. Handing over a system in the middle of an event would force a new person to take control without knowing what has already been done.