The TechnicalFurnitureForum 2010 premier surpassed all expectations – and then some! True to their “Competence Decides” motto, Emerson Network Power/Knürr Technical Furniture initiated the start of a series of events with qualified partners, which should in particular appeal to control console and control room operators. And it was precisely these that were invited in big numbers to the free of charge event. In addition to participants from the fire department, flight safety and municipal utilities company sectors, representatives from the industrial sector also took part in the information offering. Five top speakers reported during the 1-day event from first hand on their experiences and current trends in control station ergonomics.
The presentations were opened by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dipl.-Wirtsch.-Ing. Dieter Lorenz, who has been a professor of occupational science at Gießen-Friedberg University of Applied Sciences since 1991. The renowned academic is an ergonomics expert in specialist circles, and addressed the competent implementation of suitable work environments in his observations. He created a scientifically-solid basis for the following presentations with his “Control stations in motion – ergonomic arrangements reduce stress, increase efficiency, well-being and health” presentation. Wey Tec reported on efficient working in control consoles, whereby the focus was in particular on the integration of different functions at just one workstation, which can be performed using multifunctional keyboards. NEC then provided an insight into the special requirements for LCD monitors for use in control rooms. Especially high-grade solutions are required here because of the high stress loads in 24-hour operations. The wide range of topics was rounded off by a speaker from the illumination specialists, OSRAM, who spoke on the biological effect of the light in control consoles on people. On the basis of his wide-ranging background knowledge in the research and development segment, he reported to the forum on well established analyses and explanations on topics such as illumination levels, light density or daylight-similar artificial light.
The Technical Furniture Forum’s finale provided an explanation of the requirements of a holistic consideration of control stations. Herbert Neudert, Emerson Network Power/Knürr Technical Furniture Product Manager provided valuable recommendations from practice for practice here. Mr. Neudert recommended that a comprehensive analysis be performed early on in the preliminary stage of modernization activities. This operations room assessment provides valuable information, which in turn allows conclusions to be drawn on the systematic room and workstation setup. Building on this detailed implementation recommendations that optimally arrange the operator’s environment can then be made. Mr. Neudert also suggested that, in addition to technical furniture providers, experts from the planning and architecture sectors also be included, so that a comprehensive concept can be put together. This all-encompassing consideration allows all factors to be integrated.
The guests then used the time after the presentations for a detailed exchange of knowledge and information and animated expert discussions. The event will continue in Hamburg and Leipzig in February 2011 due to the enormous success of the two startup events in Munich and Cologne