Whether it's a fire, accident, medical emergency or reporting a criminal offence - anyone working in a control centre has to keep a cool head even in stressful situations in order to be able to act quickly and correctly. An ergonomically designed workstation helps enormously in this respect.
In an emergency, seconds can make the difference between life and death. Dispatchers in rescue control centres are exposed to this stress every day. Added to this is the strain of shift work. It is therefore important to create good healthy working conditions.
The example of the Cooperative Regional Control Centre West (KRLS) in Elmshorn shows how this can work. Here, 150 dispatchers ensure the safety of around 877,000 residents in western Schleswig-Holstein. Employees from the fire brigade, rescue service, disaster control and police coordinate more than 1,000 operations every day and receive 240,000 (112) and 150,000 (110) emergency calls per year. After around three years of construction, the building was completed in summer 2018. The control centre is still one of the most modern in Germany and serves as a model when it comes to ergonomically designed 24/7 workstations.
Employees test and evaluate their work equipment
Good lighting conditions and acoustics optimised for control centre work were defined as basic requirements for the ergonomic design of the rooms. However, consistent compliance with ergonomic requirements at the workstations was also taken into account at the planning stage. It was clear that minor disruptive factors in particular could stand in the way of ergonomic workplace design and cause unnecessary stress. Employees were therefore involved in the planning process right from the start.
The dispatchers tested and evaluated all the elements they use in their work using a scoring system - from the control centre desk to the large-screen visualisation to the control centre chair. The evaluation took into account the financial outlay and differentiated between what was desirable and what was feasible. The result is a control centre that sets standards, not least in terms of ergonomics.
The large window areas not only ensure bright rooms, but also fulfil the dispatchers' desire for a connection to the environment - right in the middle of it instead of just being there. All control centre desks are height-adjustable so that dispatchers can work sitting or standing. The ventilation slots for the air conditioning system are integrated into the furniture and the air is also humidified. The well thought-out ergonomic design is particularly evident in the details: a drawer with cut-outs for standardised basic office equipment is integrated into each control centre desk. This allows employees to recognise at a glance whether the equipment is complete when changing shifts, for example. There is also a personal, transportable employee box that fits exactly into a drawer of the office containers and can be customised with contents.
Control centre chair: comfortable, flexible and resilient
The control centre chair is particularly important for the dispatchers, as they spend most of their working time sitting at their desks. The chairs they have chosen themselves must therefore be ergonomic, comfortable and resilient. They placed particular emphasis on intuitive handling, seating comfort and flexible adjustment for different work situations.
Several chairs were tested over a prolonged period and the decision was ultimately made in favour of the Svenstol. Nothing was left to chance when it came to the colour scheme either: monitors and background panels in the user's field of vision are in the colour "light grey" (RAL 7038) to reduce differences in luminance with the window areas. Textile floor coverings were chosen in anthracite as a contrast, ceilings in white. Three different shades of green, which can be found throughout the building, create colourful accents in the otherwise neutral concept.
Active and relaxation rooms as part of the concept
Dispatchers can use an activity room with a treadmill and equipment tower to keep fit. Rest areas, such as a small terrace, have been set up so that they do not have to leave the control centre floor for short breaks. In addition, a relaxation room with a massage chair offers relaxation after stressful working hours.
For greater efficiency and economy, some rooms can be used twice - the quiet rooms, for example, are arranged so that two rooms share a wet room. In addition to the obligatory bed, they are also equipped with a desk and Wi-Fi. The rooms can therefore also be used as quiet study rooms. Where possible, staff rooms and storage rooms have been furnished in such a way that they can also be used as conference or meeting rooms without any conversion work.
Plus point in times of skills shortage
The control centre has been in operation for six years, and it is already clear that the additional financial outlay for the ergonomic design of the working environment is very low in relation to the planned useful life of the building and due to the timely consideration of employee suggestions during the planning stage. The greater employee satisfaction is also likely to be reflected in fewer days lost due to illness, for example, and will offset the additional costs in the long term. In times of a shortage of skilled labour, focusing on the needs of employees is an advantage when recruiting new talent.
