Patent ID: 8890653

Claim:
A plant operation apparatus comprising: a mobile communication unit that is carried by an operator and stores an operator ID for identifying the operator; an apparatus-side communication unit that has a touch electrode for reading the operator ID from the mobile communication unit through living-body communication; an authentication unit that obtains the operator ID from the apparatus-side communication unit to authenticate the operator; an input unit to which an operation relating to a plant operation of the plant operation apparatus is input by the operator; and an operation unit that performs the plant operation by the plant operation apparatus based on the operation input to the input unit by the operator, wherein the apparatus-side communication unit becomes able to read the operator ID stored in the mobile communication unit when continuity is provided between the touch electrode and an electrode of the mobile communication unit through the body of the operator in contact with the touch electrode, wherein the authentication unit checks the operator ID obtained from the apparatus-side communication unit against an operator information database and, based on operator information including the checked operator ID, performs authentication and records the authentication result, and wherein the operation unit obtains the authentication result from the authentication unit, then, while the operator authenticated by the authentication unit is in contact with the touch electrode, performs by the plant operation apparatus the operation input to the input unit by the authenticated operator.