Learning how to operate a steam-driven circulator is one of the jobs which must b e mastered at T V A ' s ammonia plant at Wilson D a m , A l a . Positions are broken down into various operational channels which serve as ladders leading through increasingly responsible positions. Employees enter as laborers and train up their respective ladders
TVA's Training Program for Chemical Plant Operations C H A R L E S H . Y O U N G , Department of Chemical Engl neering, T V A , Wilson Dam, A l a . , A N D HELMER M . M A R . T I N S O N , Personnel Department, T V A , Knoxville, Tenn.
Significant evidences of the success of the TVA program for training operators for the ammonium plant are the 3-times received Army-
Navy "E", and the increase from 400 to more than 1,000 operators
who had to learn new and technical jobs. nectly from the form, and the women straight form the kitchen.
LABOR and management working to^ gether on a program of continuous training at each job level helped solve the grave staffing problem which faced TVA's department of chemical engineering at MuBcle Shoals, Ala., in 1941, and also laid a foundation for better production in the future. The situation was critical when management began to make plans for a quick expansion of its personnel. The operating force—then comprising 400 men—had to V O L U M E
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be more than doubled to take care of increased operations which the War Department had requested. Increased Production for W a r
The Tennessee Valley Authority was asked to add production of elemental phosphorus for smoke screens, incendiary bombs, and tracer bullets to its production of phosphatic fertilizer and t o recondition the nitrate plant, built during World War I, for production of ammonium nitrate to
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be used in high explosives. It was asked to build a new synthetic ammonia plant and to recondition six old electric furnaces to produce calcium carbide for the synthetic rubber program. This was a big order, an emergency order, one whose success depended on an ample supply of workers, workers who could o]>erate the equipment efficiently, quickly, and steadily. There could l>e no lags. Here is the problem which management faced: Three new and different plants were going to l>e built and operated. Time needed for construction itself was enough delay. There could lie no waiting for manpower. When the plants were completed, production was scheduled to begin immediately. Experienced Operators N o t Available
Operators ex|>erieiic-.ed in this work were not available. In fart, because operations were unique, qualified operators, for the most part, simply did not exist. The original 4(M) oitcrators were examined for possible clues. Alost of tlieui had been hired to learn the jol> the lient they could by absorption or l>y the understudy system. This process worked fairly well in training 400 men through eight years, but to train a thousand in a few mouths was a different problem. Some of the of oration» in the three new plants were comparable to those in the already of>erating phosphate plant. Top operators therefore could be transferred to the other plants. If they were transferred, other oi>erators would have to be hinb \ or promoted t o fill |x>sitions left \» -ant by the transfer». But many or233
ganizational difficulties would be a sure result if the top positions were filled by men who did not have adequate knowledge of all the ojierations below them. This would slow up the new work and weaken the entire organizational setup. Training Program
The comparability of operations in the plants suggested another idea. The phosphate plant could be used as a laboratory to )>egin the training of the first group of workers for the new plants. Here seemed to )>e the solution—an organized training program that could be started immediately in the phosphate plant and then spread to the other plants as their construction neared completion. Training at all levels would be necessary in order to develop an entire working force. Training through a series of increasingly responsible positions is the best way to train effectively at all levels. Not only would this plan adequately staff the new plants and provide for any other emergency expansion that might be necessary, but it would continue to serve management by providing trained replacements to meet turnover. If top employees were trained in this organized way, many problems resulting from poorly trained top employees would l>e avoided. From the very t>eginning, needs dictated the steps of the training program. Initial Training for New Plants. First of all, additional foremen and supervisors were needed for the expanded operations. The ammonium nitrate plant would need eight shift foremen and four shift supervisors, and the ammonia plant and the carbide plant would each need at least that many. Just as in the case of operators, foremen and supervisors trained in chemical plant operations were not available in the labor market. They, too, would have to be trained. Management solved this problem by selecting from its top operators in the phosphate plant a group of men as prospective foremen who were not only good operators but had demonstrated leadership ability. Prospective supervisors, responsible for directing work of foremen, were selected from graduate chemical engineers who had been trained in operations. With the assistance of the personnel department, a series of conferences was conducted on skills in supervision and on the responsibilities of a supervisor or foreman. The conferences included such topics as adapting discipline to the individual, giving orders that are carried out, executing functions of personnel administration, placing the. right worker on the right job, k^ulung cooperation effective, training employees, and handling union-management relations. An experienced supervisor, well respected by the men and well versed in operations, led the two-hour conferences which were held twice a week for 23 meetings. Three sets of these conferences were conducted, with a total of 45 individuals taking part.
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Twenty-three were foremen or supervisors and 22 were prospective foremen or supervisors who eventually assumed the new responsibilities for which they were trained. Foremen, supervisors, and t o p operators from the phosphate plant were transferred to the three new plants while they were still under construction. T h e men attended classes held in the plant to discuss chemical and mechanical problems. Tbey studied operating manuals which supervisors and superintendents had prepared while the plants were still in the blueprint stage. These manuals were broken down to correspond to sections of the plants and were accompanied by sketches of the equipment and process flow charts. The men inspected equipment and traced out pipelines, electric circuits, and valve locations during the construction period; they observed and also participated in testing the new equipment. As a result of this training they were able t o begin operating the new plants at the moment construction was completed. Promotional
Ladders.
Before
phos-
phate plant top operators could be transFig. 1.
Operator Training Plan,
Phosphate and Carbide Plant Raw Materials
I
I
Kun
I
Operator 400
I 91
Dryer Fireman 300
9
Oiler
1 4|
Kiln Helper
1
I 240 1 1240
31
Conveyor 1 Operator 200 3 • • 1 I
•1
Dryer Fireman Helper 1100 1
Conveyor Laborer 10O
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l|
1
•I !
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Laborer Trainee . . . . . . Possible but not desirable route Number a t left in box, minimum training hours required. Number at right in box, months t o attain average proficiency.
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ferred to the foremanship and operator ranks in the other plants, however, replacements were necessary. Time was a crucial factor. It was decided that a thorough and speedy job of training could best be done by breaking each plant down into various operational channels. Each channel would then become a ladder leading from the beginning laborer's job step by step t o the highest operating job. One such ladder, given in Figure l f is a series of jobs leading from that of laborer through seven steps to the top operator position of kiln operator in the raw materials section. Another ladder of eight steps leads to purification operator in the ammonia plant. Six ladders were set up for positions in and around the furnace building through which operators were qualified for such top positions as furnace, operator, tapping floor operator, and acid operator The railroad yard crew's program consists of eight steps through the positions of fireman, hostler, and switchman t o the higher classifications of locomotive operator, yard conductor, and locomotive crane operator. Another ladder in the ammonium nitrate plant consists of six steps to the position of ammonia oxidizer operator. New trainees are selected from applicants who meet the physical, age, and educational requirements and who havepassed the aptitude test given by the personnel department. T h e y enter at the bottom rung of the ladder. Operators at each step are trained for the next level, thereby providing a planned basis for training and promotion. When each individual has been trained for the next higher job, a vacancy at a n $ point can readily be filled by advancing operator» below that particular rung and filling in at t h e bottom with a newly employed worker. All trainees retain their existing classification title and pay rate while training for the higher positions. Such training usually constitutes less than 5 0 % of their work time. The major portion of their time is spent performing regular duties. However, if vacancies occur for which qualified candidates are not available, more and even all of the trainees' time is spent on training, so as t o qualify operators more rapidly. Labor-Management Training Commit· tee. The training program was organized and is conducted on a labor-management basis, with the International Union of Operating Engineers (AFL) representing labor (/). Management and labor each designated representatives to make up a training committee which was charged with the responsibilities of developing the training program, supervising it, preparing examinations to be administered to the trainees before they are accredited, setting up machinery to carry out the examination process, accrediting to the personnel department trainees w h o had completed training, and recommending them for cer-
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tification as eligible for promotion, and •evaluating the program.
Fig. 2.
Training Csrd Turned into Personnel Department T E N N E S S E E VALLEY AUTHORITY
Personnel Department
Methods of Training
The actual training is a function of management. Each shift supervisor, re sponsible for operations on his particular shift, is also responsible for carrying out the training program. He usually dele gates training responsibility to the shift foreman who sometimes carries on the training himself, but in most cases assigns trainees to experienced oi>erators. The trainee doubles with an experienced operator who follows each item in the -analysis for that particular job, using the four-step method of teaching which in cludes preparation, presentation, applica tion, and test. The trainers have been given Job Instructor Training of the Train ing Within Industry Branch of the War Manpower Commission to improve their -.instruction. They use a job breakdown sheet which includes points such as knacks, hazards, "feel", timing, and special in formation, as well as the job analysis. This sheet provides them with a guide against which they can check to be sure that their instruction will be complete and given in proper order. The trainee performs the more simple o(>erations first and takes over others as rapidly as his ability will permit. By the end of the training period he is exacted to ]>erform satisfactorily all operations of the specific position without assistance. In addition,
Wilson Dana, Al&bau C A R B I D E F U R N A C E OPERATOR
Trainee's Name Classification Work Week from To Sbift No Foreman's Signature FOREMAN WILL PLEASE PLACE ANY REMARKS ON REVERSE SIDE NAME OF PROCESS Review & study reports of previous shifts
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j
Check water flow thru holders & transformers
1
!
Check transformer temperatures
1 1
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Operate furnace control board
i
Charge furnace
| W
! 1 i i i
!
11
Direct tapping of furnace
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Check log sheets
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j
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Plot & study electrode travel*
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i Γ "
i
Keep shift operating record
I
Report to Data Board Attendant
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Maintenance à adjustment of equipment |
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1G R1A N D operating manuals are assigned to the trainees to provide related information
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1
! 1 1
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Replace electrodes & slip electrodes
Housekeeping &. clean-up
F , 8 1 Total
τ
ι 1
Train & supervise chargers
The operation οί a nitric acid tower must be mastered before one advances from cooler to assistant tower operator, the position preceding the top job of tower operator
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to supplement that given on actual opera tions. This material, which is studied during regular work hours, explains the "why" of operations as well as the "how". The trainee also receives a list of study questions t o provide him with examples of the type of information he will be expected to master. The instructor discusses the material in the manual and the questions with the trainee to determine if he under stands them correctly and fully. Top operator Huey Pete, who is as signed the training of his crew in the am monium nitrate plant, says, "Now in training a man, you make sure he under stands everything. He can ask all the questions he wants and have them all answered." Since Pete came in as a laborer in 1934, he knows from experience that, under the old system, head opera tors wouldn't always tell laborers what they wanted to know. Records. Complete records are kept and training cards, as shown in Figure 2, are tun.. ' in to the personnel department each week. These show the amount of training, in hours, each trainee has re ceived on each process listed on the job analysis. A personnel representative, who acts as secretary to the joint training com mittee, has the hours posted from tbe training time oard to a cumulative time sheet The joint training committee members keep a close check on the records and visit the trainers and trainees periodically to determine whether the training is suffi cient to prepare the trainees for the jobs on the next steps of the ladders. 239
Oral Examinations. After each trainee has been trained for the required numbei of hours on each process and has l>een rated satisfactory on his training, including actual performance of the job without assistance, the secretary arranges for an oral examination to be administered by a labor-management examining committee». This committee consists of the shift supervisor whe asks the questions and determines if the answers are correct, a job steward who represents the union, and a
anyone on this list for that particular job when a vacancy occurs. Responsibility of the training committee ends with the accrediting process. If labor or management believes a trainee is not qualified for promotion, its representatives must submit reasons to the committee prior to accrediting if it wishes them to b e considered by the committee. Management has a free hand in making selections for promotions from the eligibility register. "It's easier to make pro-
The pH control, an instrument measuring and controlling the acidity or alkalinity of ammonium nitrate solution, is learned on the job ladder leading to the position of neutraliser operator personnel department representative. The number of examination questions varies from 10 to 150, der>ending upon the job involved. The minimum passing score is 80. If a trainee fails t o pass the examination, h e is removed from the training program or he is given an additional amount of training on specific processes or on all parts of the job. After the trainee completes this training, another examination ?e £*iven. Eligibility fox Placement. When a trainee passes the examination, the examining committee informs the joint training committee that he has satisfactorily completed his training on the job. The joint training committee then reviews bis record ar-d, if it is satisfactory, accredits the trainee as qualified t o perform the duties of that position. This accreditation is accepted by the personnel department as evidence that the trainee is qualified and his name is placed on an eligibility register along with other eligible candidates. A supervisor may choose 236
motions because you have more facts", comments the superintendent of the phosphate and carbide plant, Josiah Work'Determining promotions is an advantage of the program which will increase as the manpower shortage eases up and y o u have several men accredited for each job. Training is a tool which allows management to make intelligent selection; and the more facts t h a t can be developed t h e letter tool it «will be. Better selection means better operation." A personnel officer can easily determine what employees are eligible and thus qualified for vacancies. His review of records to study and compare qualifications can \>e restricted, therefore, t o the group w h o have already been placed on the register. Foremen rate trainees on their job performance, and k n o w how well they may be expected to perform if given full responsibility for higher positions. Grievances arising from promotions are reduced, since labor joins management in t h e responsibility for the action and in explaining the
CHEMICAL
promotional process to t h e employee. Management seldom has been approached by individuals with complaints. Evaluating the Program Members of the joint training committee are constantly evaluating and searching for ways to improve the program. Accrediting examinations very often show up weak spots in the training; and comments of foremen, supervisors, and trainees themselves point out where training can be improved. For example, in t h e beginning of t h e program the amount o f time for certain parts of the training was underestimated and had to be lengthened quickly. Continuous evaluation of methods and results by the joint committee makes it possible to meet needs of the program as they arise. One problem which the committee has l*»en working on is the difficulty in measuring an operator's job experience when he is transferred from one ladder to another. Every effort is made to keep the program flexible, so that management can transfer employees should the need arise. In transferring employees from one ladder t o another, management makes the transfer and t h e joint training committee evaluates t h e employee's past experience and sees t h a t he gets any additional training which might be necessary. A n example of this situation is the case of a top furnace operator, who had advanced several steps in one ladder and was then transferred to another where b e has worked up t o his present position. Extending Recruiting Sources Women. A year after the training program w a s inaugurated, it became apparent that many men would be lost, to the armed services. M e n who could qualify for the training program were not. available in t h e quantity needed, r e c r u i t ment of women for certain jobs which had been approved for this purpose by the health and safety department was begun and intensified as t h e manpower shortage became more acute. Women were expected to reach the same degree of proficiency as the men who previously held the jobs, and they were rotated through the various shifts (day, evening, and night) along with the men. T h e y participated in exactly the same program. S o m e of the positions for which w o m e n have been trained and have since held include overhead crane operator, tractor operator, regulator board operator, cooler operator, acid storage operator, oiler, and data board attendant. Use of women En these positions solved t o some e x t e n t a difficult recruitment problem and t h e y have done well in their training and work. Negroes. Negroes have participated in the program not only a s trainees but also as management and labor representatives on examining committees wiiich e x amine Negro trainees. Among t h e responsible positions which Negroes have been trained for and now hold a r e con-
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• e y o r operator, graining room operator, electric furnace head tapper, loading checker, and shovel operator. Effectiveness of Training Program N u m b e r s Trained. An average of 450 operators are usually in training at one time. From the beginning of the program in May 1941, 1,429 employees have been trained and examined. Since an employee may rise through several steps by promo tions u p the training ladder, these 1,429 employees have completed 2,646 steps. T h e training of o n e employee, who started a s a laborer and was trained and promoted to conveyor operator, graining room operator, and ammonium nitrate operator in seven months, shows how It is possible for some to advance to several increasingly responsible positions in a short time. Of the total trained, 209 were women who have completed 435 steps and are now workifg in 37 different kinds of posi tions; 3 7 5 Negroes have com* * *ed 444 steps, and work in 37 different classifica tions. By-Product Values. Though the pri mary purpose of the training program is t o make efficient operators out of employees who are on t h e job, the/e are several im portant by-products. Training is helpful as a n aid to recruitment. People are in terested in a job which offers training and opportunities for advancement. Some leave higher rated positions to enter such a program. Breaking down the job into its several parts and developing an order of learning help the new employee to understand t h e job and to feel confident of his ability t o master it. If an employee can see his job as a whole, and then can examine i t in relation t o other jobs, he has more interest in his work and can work more efficiently. Many potential grievances in labor re lations are resolved in the joint training committee meetings before they reach the point at which they would be carried through the established grievance proce dure. T h e committee often finds other personnel functions cannot be separated from training. For example, an operator complained to his union's business agent, who serves on the training committee, that he should be receiving additional money because of serving as relief operator on a higher j o b once each week. During a training committee meeting the business agent presented t h e matter to the plant superintendent w h o is management's representative on the committee. The superintendent explained that the em ployee would receive payment for the work after he had accumulated enough time on t h e higher rated position to equal One pay period. Matters such as these are solved frequently in training commit tee meetings. Major Results. ' T h i s program enables us t o know in advance whether or not we can rill positions when they become V O L U M E
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The position ol regulator operator is in the series leading to the top position οί burden weigher—a series filled entirely by women vacant, for every j o b is backed up," de clares James L. Snyder, Jr., suj>ervisor in the ammonia plant. "The more positions men are trained o n , the more valuable they are/' he concludes. The program, however, can best be evaluated in terms of how well it solved management's problem. Increased oper ations in the phosphate plant were carried on adequately. Trained operating staffs for three new plants were ready to step in and begin work as soon as construction was completed. N o time was lost be cause of a shortage of trained workers. "With less than 24 hours' notice produc tion can be shifted from fertilizer to mili tary demands. T h i s is possible largely because our workers are well trained," declares John P. Clark, superintendent of the ammonium nitrate plant. Figures tell a vivid story—an increase
3 . . F E B R U A R Y
from 400 of>erators t o more than a thou sand, a thousand operators who had to leain new and technical jobs. Most of these had had no experience in operating chemical plant equipment. M a n y of the men came direct from the farm, while most of the women came straight from the kitchen; yet the employees learned their jobs and performed so well that the plants have three times received t h e Army-Navy "K". These are significant evidences of the program's success. I t s success in times of great difficulties makes it clear that it will continue to be used to high advantage in promoting a smooth flow of production during normal times. Literature Cited (1) McGlothlin, W. J., "Union-Manage ment Administration of Employee Train ing", Advanced Management, pp. 38-44 (April-June 1943).
Training for the position of gas compressor operator
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