Prison staff were at a seminar in Dartford, entitled ‘control rooms for the 21st century’ to discuss the effectiveness of control rooms as part of a Head of Estates Conference.
The seminar was introduced by international consultants to the built, natural and social environment White Young Green (WYG). WYG pointed out that many control rooms are drab environments that their operators ‘do not find welcoming’ to work in.
To counter any negative effects on the performance of operators, WYG suggested the positive application of ergonomics, including the grouping together of disparate operating systems, and the adoption of flexible display arrangements and improved furniture.
The seminar heard that control rooms must not only be functional, but they must also be comfortable places that encourage performance.
Control room furniture specialists Winsted described how photographic quality colour images and three-dimensional walk-through animations are used to provide their customers with an accurate preview of what their control room will look like before work begins.
The company say they can also use technology to find the limitations of the operator to minimise potential mismatches between operator capabilities and system demands. They are confident this approach is ‘user-centred’, and the standard can be applied to areas such as lighting, noise levels, the overall control room layout and its surrounding environment.
The benefits of ergonomic design are now contained in an international standard, ISO 11064. This standard offers generic guidance on how the design of control workstations and the layout of the control room can contribute to the performance objectives set for the control centre.
Winsted say their experience in this area can positively and objectively assist in making decisions on matters such as equipment selection, operating practices, working environments and furniture selection.
Founded in 1963, Winsted have recently installed control room furniture at HMP Swinfen Hall in Staffordshire and Frankland prison in Durham.