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Control Room Industries

Control Rooms

 

A Control Room is similar to a Command Center but specialized for the unique purpose it serves.  For the sake of discussion, they have been broken into sub-categories to focus on different industries for the function they provide.  A Control Room functions as a centralized space within industrial markets where production control can be monitored and governed.  Production / Process Control Rooms are vital for operations and help to ensure the safety, security, and controls across the plant are at the forefront of the plant's operators and employees.

  • Power Plants / Nuclear / Alternative Energy

  • Oil Refineries / Chemical Plants

  • Mission Control Rooms / NASA / Jet Propulsion

  • Manufacturing

  • Mining

  • Water Treatment Facilities

Each of the bullets are examples of typical Control Rooms and the industries they serve.  Because safety for the plant is the primary purpose for a Control Room, it is not uncommon to find them each equipped with Fire Suppression, Security Systems, Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS), Cabling, Server Racks, Command Consoles, and other Technical Furniture.  Each of these components is absolutely critical to ensure safe practices and quick response in emergencies.  There are often many regulations, such as fire codes, that a Control Room must abide by ... triggering sometimes frequent and continuous renovations.

The most overlooked element in such a renovation is how to maintain an efficient design within the constraints the facility provides.  It is very common for designs to be generated with only the "facility space allowance" and technological requirements in mind.  However, one must be extremely cautious to not overlook the number one weak link in every Control Room Design ... that is the human factor.

  • Acoustics

  • Traffic Flow

  • Line of Sight

  • Ergonomics

  • Illumination

Designing a Control Room without these elements in mind, and many others, can radically increase risk for error within the plant.  In an industrial plant, something as small as an operator error can be the difference between life and death for employees in the field.  And we have the case studies to prove the claim.

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