What’s the Best Control Room Design to Address the Biggest Control Room Issues?

You want the best control room design before you build. There is no sense in going back later to fix issues. It is best to give the needed attention during the design phase of your project. To get you on the right track, take a look at some of the biggest control room issues. And learn how the proper design will help address them.

Fatigue: Ergonomics, Equipment, and Access

One of the biggest issues faced by control room staff is fatigue. Beat fatigue, and you’ll make the biggest impact on productivity, effectiveness, and job satisfaction. Visual ergonomics is an important factor when working to reduce fatigue.

Being able to see all video monitors without having to move or stretch will reduce stress and improve physical positioning within the workspace. Ergonomic chairs and workstations are also vital. Proper seating ensures control room employees can work their shifts without discomfort, pain, and fatigue. This will surely affect their job performance.

Access to other areas outside of their workstation is also a key consideration. Areas of rest, recovery, exercise, and interacting with coworkers are essential. These areas must be considered when designing the control room, as these areas help reduce the stress workers feel during long periods of highly-focused work. Access to their tools and workstation, areas for rest, as well as furniture dynamics and comfort are all critical considerations during design.

Noise and Acoustics

Room noise can make or break the effectiveness of your control room. If the ambient noise in the room rises due to operators positioned too closely together, sounds reflecting off hard surfaces, and equipment without the right sound modifications, operators will not be effective. They are more likely to miss information and communications or get distracted.

Designing the room to address noise and acoustics will help you avoid these issues. Materials considerations, workstation placement, sound and electronics equipment design and placement, and even foot traffic can all impact how a control room functions.

Traffic and Distractions

Decreasing distractions is part of the best control room design. Foot traffic is always going to be an issue in control rooms. People coming and going and even the quietest conversations between operators and technicians all have an impact on the rooms function. This is especially true during emergencies or times when there are critical issues and the number of people moving about increases.

Reducing traffic and creating the proper flow throughout the room can and should be a priority during the design phase. Understanding the work that happens in the control room, the type and number of operators that will be working at any given time, and the way communications will need to flow throughout the space are all considerations to eliminate the issues that come with too much traffic.

Get the Best Control Room Design with Fountainhead Control Rooms

Instead of compromising the design of your project, talk to the right people before it starts. Contact our expert team at Fountainhead Control Rooms for the best control room design to eliminate the most common issues before they start.