What is a Control Room?
A control room is a workplace where the controls to a certain business unit are located, from here it is monitored and controlled by the human control room operators. A control room is dedicated to employees that have special training in crisis management. The people that monitor and engineer these rooms are called control room operators.
Many kinds of businesses use and have control rooms and come in many variations.
A list of the different businesses that have a control room:
- Police force
- Fire department
- Alarm center and emergency
- Airports and flight control
- Energy (power, solar, wind, nuclear, oil and gas) refineries
- Production plants and manufacturing sites
- National and international infrastructure like trains and buses
- Traffic management
- National defence
- Security
- Transportation
- Weather and natural disaster monitoring
Control rooms are scattered wide across the country and used in various industries. So, it puts forth the question of what is the role of a control room operator? We’ll answer that in detail here—you can find out all the necessary skills and requirements.
Monitoring Operations
The primary role of a control room operator in any given industry is to monitor operations. Hence, a control room operator role is highly important in any industry, which is why long hours and unique workdays are required. What is monitored specifically varies from industry to industry. This means control room operators must be equipped with high-quality technological gadgets so they can perform at their full capacity.
Resolving Issues
Another useful characteristic for control operators is for them to be problem solvers. This is due to the many problems that an operator may encounter, most likely with situations and data. Control room operators are expected to troubleshoot and handle extremely high-stakes situations with ease, especially in an industry like the military, government, or aerospace.
Communicating with the team
While control room operators may have their own individual responsibilities, they are responsible for communicating certain details with the team. Due to all the happenings that may be going on in any field, there is usually a team of people who operate one big control room. This means that the operator needs to have effective communication skills to keep everyone on the same page. However, that communication isn’t just limited to those in the room either. A control room operator must also effectively communicate with others outside of the room.
But what do strong communication skills look like? For starters, these are things they must be able to do:
- Listen
- Have emotional intelligence
- Handle criticism
- Be respectful
- Be Accurate
- Showcase Honesty
- Speak clearly
- Be knowledgeable
- Convey information accurately and precisely
Improving Safety
Security is a major concern in every industry. One-way industries can protect themselves with the help of control room operators. This goes back to control room operators monitoring via large displays in a room. The displays allow operators to watch over a space and ensure its safety. If there is a safety issue for any reason, it’s a control room operator’s responsibility to send an alert to other people. This is where effective communication skills come in handy as well.
Recording and Understanding Data
Besides security camera footage, control room displays also feature lots of data that must be recorded and understood by the operator. The data in any given control room will vary based on different industries and being able to interpret it is essential.
Training Others
Like any other profession, there is a training aspect to this job as well. This occurs when new operators come in and must learn how a control room works. An experienced control room operator may be called upon to train new employees and show them the correct procedures.
Providing Feedback
In addition to training others, control room operators should also be able to provide constructive criticism to others. This can be expected in any profession and is essential for a control room operator.
Adapt to Change
Control room operations also present many different situations, some of which can be crucial to a building’s overall safety. These situations mean that operators must be able to adapt to change whenever necessary and handle stressful situations with ease.
Adapting to change doesn’t just apply to situations, either. Technology plays a large role in control rooms and is something that is always changing. Control room operators must have the ability to adapt to the naturally occurring changes in technology. In many cases, technology improves workplace operations, so operators learning how to use new technology, such as display walls, can greatly benefit the overall workflow.
Our Take
MA Services Group has a highly skilled team of security operators who are used to integrating within a company dynamic. We supply security guards and concierge security operators to a wide number of organizations, so our clients can be assured of a smooth transition with minimal disruption.
As such, our clients can opt for whether they want their security control room operator to become part of their current control room team, or whether they would prefer our security operator to operate remotely. Either way, our clients are guaranteed a trusted and committed operation that will serve to enhance and protect any business.
If you feel that you need better security control room monitoring and you believe that we could be of benefit, then call us on 03 9339 3500 and talk to one of our experts. We can discuss your needs and from this, construct the best solution for you, based on requirements and budget.
Don’t let your business or event security take a back seat, get in touch with MA Services Group today!
