An alternative view

With the technology that's now available, and which allows all alarm, fire and security systems to be monitored directly from a central Control Room, CCTV cameras may be directly positioned to cover critical areas. They can then confirm genuine alarms such that security officers provide an appropriate response.

As a direct result, CCTV Control Room operators now have a far greater degree of responsibility than at any time in the past. To that end, it's important the space within their Control Rooms is designed with operator comfort and ease of use very much in mind.

Grouping of CCTV equipment
While the design stages are undertaken, there are a number of areas that should be considered in detail. The first is the logical grouping of equipment. In order that this is achieved, it's important for the design team to take into account the number of operators on duty during different shifts throughout the day.

The Control Room must always be fully operational under high and low staffing levels.

The second area for consideration is that of controls layout, which must directly reflect the allocation of responsibility and the requirements for supervision in order that swift action may be taken. In addition, the Control Room layout mustn't hinder verbal and non-verbal communication alike, instead facilitating teamwork throughout the space.

If all of the above factors are taken into consideration, the operators' efficiency will be maximised as opposed to being compromised.

Current legislation also plays a pivotal role in console arrangement, as it's vitally important to adhere to the Data Protection Act. That will be achieved so long as the monitors' images cannot be seen by those who aren't authorised to view them.

There's a further consideration, namely that of designing to satisfy stipulations laid down in the Disability Discrimination Act. The aim here being to eliminate discrimination in the field of employment against disabled persons or people who have had a disability in the past.

Control Room designs must therefore offer sufficient space for 'movability', with all equipment and facilities in the space easily accessible to disabled people.

Due to the length of time operators are working within a Control Room, space designs must take into consideration anthropometrical data related to the reach of controls and ease of viewing. This plays a large role in the daily routine of the operators, allowing them to work efficiently and to their full potential throughout the duration of their shift.

Other areas of importance are viewing angles and chair design, which (if well-considered) can reduce the risk associated with work-related musculoskeletal injury.

While dealing with operator comfort, it's still important that all designs comply with ISO 11064 ('Room to manoeuvre' and 'Ergonomic design in action', SMT, April 2003, pp40-44).

Operators are the most expensive ongoing cost in any Control Room, so they must be given every opportunity to perform as efficiently as possible

On top of this, there are a number of other factors that must be taken into account when dealing with the operators' efficiency, as Control Rooms are in use 24 hours per day. Areas such as the lighting, air conditioning, floor covering and even the wall decoration should be addressed to make the operators' environment comfortable during their working day/night. Operators are the most expensive ongoing cost in any Control Room, so they must be given every opportunity to perform as efficiently as possible.

Recent technological advancements have created different opportunities for improved security, while at the same time demanding new skills of the operating staff. The careful design of consoles, allowing for in-built cable management and the flexibility to change equipment via front fascias enables clients to accommodate any necessary future changes to equipment with minimal cost and disruption.

The best way to look at the process of Control Room design is by way of some real life case studies, a good example being the design project for Manchester Royal Infirmary (MRI).

In order for the Control Room to run smoothly, there were a number of issues that had to be addressed during the design stages to make the operators' daily routine as straightforward as possible. The main area of concern for Manchester NHS Trust security manager Christine Lomas was to render the primary functions of the Control Room as user friendly as possible while retaining aesthetic appeal – this was to be the benchmark for future hospital projects across the country.

The primary function stated that all the required equipment should be within reach from a seated position, allowing operator response time to be reduced. All monitors within the Control Room had to be viewable from each of the operators' seated positions, while the overall aim was to engender a proactive security set-up as opposed to a reactive one (thus helping to reduce the level of crime and disorder in and around the hospital).

Using a consultant greatly increased the odds of securing the required Government funding, thus Optimum Risk Management was awarded the project and specialist consultant Malcolm Brown handed the task of managing the design and installation process.

The first step was to identify what new equipment was needed. Then it was a case of producing a suitable specification for the Control Room in conjunction with designer Intech Furniture.

There had to be individual desks with their own monitors for each of the CCTV operators, and as much working desk space as possible. Given likely future investment for the MRI Control Room, any furniture installed had to be easily modified to accommodate change.

The final solution?
Intech produced a number of designs (some of them are reproduced here, along with the original plan for the space). The final design as approved by Malcolm Brown consists of four individual consoles with two spot monitors concealed beneath a non-reflective glass panel (thus providing the necessary extra desk space). It also improves viewing of the main monitor wall as there are no visual restrictions.

In addition, to comply with the requirements for future change, individual consoles have been built and positioned such that they can be reconfigured in any arrangement that will accommodate more operators. That will help the in-house security team to cut down on the cost of change.

Christine Lomas has reported a 25% decrease in the levels of crime since the Control Room became fully operational. Due to the fact that staff and visitors are better aware of the new security systems and Control Room being in place, more victims are now willing to report incidents than before because they know that swift action will be taken.