Security

Control Room Ops

Project Overview

Across many industries control room functionality is sometimes assumed to have the same purpose - mainly associated with security and safety.   However many factors can affect control rooms and what their operators are able to deliver when technology, human limitations and organisations processes and procedures are taken into account.  An airside control room was reviewed to understand what could be detected by the technology, the operating staff and the effects of organisation processes and procedures from a security operations standpoint. The measure was to understand the ability of the control room operator to see and understand safety and security issues. The effects of such things as work overload, contact between control room operators and on-ground security staff and the influence of introducing differing technologies and work over time outside a typical control room function were considered.

Seeing, Deciding & Acting

Control Panel Design in Security Specific Locations

Project Overview

This report presented a meta-analysis of our experience and findings from many projects in control rooms in multiple domains and with Commanders from bronze, silver and gold level. This ‘real world’ data was compared and contrasted to available scientific research in order to distil the multi layered knowledge into a short guide to human performance in the Commander’s domain.  Primarily the report aimed to support the Commander by providing guidelines for the effective control of situational awareness via tools, processes and training in order that he may SEE, DECIDE and ACT effectively.  We further sought to understand the effects of what has been seen; the decisions made; and the actions that followed; through feedback designed to continually help improve a Commander's ability to respond in a crisis situation. 

Control Panel Design

Control Panel Design in Security Specific Locations

Project Overview

New equipment is often designed by engineers who are driven by technology and are familiar with the operation of that technology, and yet will not have worked within the environment specific to the equipments eventual use. Any design that is led by technology rather than the requirements of the eventual user is likely to encounter problems.  A good design is one that considers the human user and the environment or context in which it will be used. Consideration of the User at an early stage will identify the best way in which to gain optimum operation of the panel by a User. This project considered the effects of a control panel design in relation to security operations and human limitations both physically and cognitively and commented on the relation and effects of these factors in their physical environment.

Single Control Rooms

Single Control Rooms – Their Purpose – Perception and Reality

Project Overview

Across many industries control room functionality is sometimes assumed to have the same purpose - mainly associated with security and safety.   However many factors can affect what control rooms and their operators are able to deliver when factors such as technology, human limitations and organisations processes and procedures are taken into account.  A network rail control room was reviewed to understand what could actually be detected by the technology, the operating staff, and the effects of organisation processes and procedures from a security operations standpoint. The measure was to understand the ability of the control room operator to see and understand safety and security issues at its rail stations on the network and the effects of such thing as work overload or underload and organisation Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s).