Your CCTV control room is an essential part of your operations. To help your staff perform at their best, you may need to design the room a bit differently from how you would design a typical office workplace. CCTV operators and other mission-critical staff have slightly different needs from other workers, needing perfect ergonomics to maintain high levels of concentration and focus, all shift long.
Read on to see how you create a better CCTV control room design.
Start With the Size of Your CCTV Control Room
It’s easy to underestimate how much space you will need for your CCTV control room. Your designated surveillance area may seem quite spacious when there’s no furniture in it, but you may find that there’s still not enough space for all the workstations, oversized monitors, storage units, and people who need to be there.
To figure out if your intended CCTV surveillance room is large enough, try marking on the floor at walls to show where your control consoles, chairs, video walls, and storage units will fit. Then you can see how many stations will really fit in the room, whether there will be room to walk around, and whether there’s room to grow.
If possible, try to avoid having potential design barriers such as pillars or poorly placed walls in your control room. These structural features may seem innocuous, but they could cause issues with line of sight and effective use of space.
Use Lighting that is Designed with CCTV Operators in Mind
Lighting is an often-forgotten factor in CCTV control room design that can make a huge difference for your operators. Overly bright lighting can cause eye fatigue, especially at night. At the same time, you need enough lighting for operators to be able to comfortably use their equipment.
While natural lighting is generally considered to be the healthiest form of life, direct sunlight can sometimes reflect off of monitors, and you will need other lighting options at night. Your best bet is usually multiple light sources that are designed for control centers, including task lighting, overhead lights, and windows with easy to control blinds to create consistent lighting throughout the room.
Protect Operators from Noise Pollution
Depending on your organization’s procedures, your CCTV control room operators may need to speak and interact with other staff members and the public on a regular basis. They also need to be able to concentrate on multiple tasks and systems at the same time. Between those two factors, you definitely need to consider noise pollution and take action to insulate work stations from outside noise.
If you haven’t built your control room yet, see if you can spend a day in the area you plan to convert to identify any noise issues. You will need extra noise insulation if your CCTV control room is near a major road, rail line, airport, or another busy area.
Consider Lines of Sight in Your CCTV Control Room Design
CCTV control rooms rely on operators being able to quickly react and seamlessly work together. To do their job efficiently, operators often need to look up at large monitors in other parts of the room.
It’s important for every station to have clear lines of sight to important screens and signals. Again, you may want to avoid pillars and other blockages in your CCTV control room design that could get in the way of clear sight.
Choose Well-Designed CCTV Consoles
Control console design can make a surprisingly large difference in your operators’ health and wellbeing. While some employees may not notice the effects of sub-optimally designed consoles at first, over the long run, your organization will see more repetitive injuries or worn-out furniture that needs replacement.
Help your operators out by choosing adjustable, ergonomic CCTV consoles and chairs that are built to last. Every operator should be able to keep their feet flat on the ground, type with their lower arms parallel to the floor, and enjoy lumbar support that promotes good posture.
Don’t forget to check the warranty on any console furniture you buy. Ideally, all of your CCTV consoles should come with a ten-year warranty that covers all parts, including shipping and labor for repairs.
Get More Surveillance Room Design Advice from Russ Bassett
Russ Bassett can help you create an efficient, effective surveillance room design. We have been designing and manufacturing specialty furniture to solve problems not addressed by standard office furniture since 1960.
As a trusted, knowledgeable partner, Russ Bassett is focused on delivering an excellent experience from project conception through successful completion and beyond with ongoing service and support. Contact us today for assistance designing your mission-critical workplace.