Control Room Assessment
Find out what your control room really needs
Before anyone buys consoles or screens, find out how the room is used and where it lets operators down. A control room assessment gives you that answer while the plant keeps running.
It is the same assessment that starts every one of our control room upgrades. Sometimes it shows the room needs a full upgrade. Often a smaller fix is enough, and we say so.
How the room is used
How operators work across shifts, including nights and plant upsets, not only on a quiet day.
Layout and sightlines
Who needs to see whom, and what, from each position, and who walks through the room.
Screens and overview
What is on the desk screens and the video wall, and whether it helps when something goes wrong.
Working environment
Lighting, glare, noise, temperature and the things that tire operators over a long shift.
Emergency readiness
For underground mines, a check of the room against the nine Chapter 16 requirements.
What You Get
A clear finding
What works in your room, what does not, and why, written in plain language for operations and management.
Live, phased, night work
Options, smallest first
A prioritised list from quick fixes to a full upgrade, so you can choose what to spend and when.
MOC, permits, surveys
A brief you can use
If the room needs an upgrade, the assessment becomes the design brief, so nothing operators rely on today is lost.
Outage programme
Assessment in Numbers
100+
Control rooms designed by Oculus
0
Shutdowns needed: we assess a live room
3
Levels of option: quick fix, partial refit, full upgrade
When to assess your control room
- Before you budget for an upgrade, so the money goes where it makes a difference.
- After an incident or near miss where the room played a part.
- When operators report fatigue, glare or screens they cannot read.
- When you add new systems, merge rooms or move to remote operation.
- Before you sign off an underground mine emergency control room against Chapter 16.
An assessment is independent of what anyone supplies. Its job is to tell you what your operators need, not to sell you furniture.
Standards Behind Every Design
We design with reference to the standards that matter for people in control rooms. Tap a card to see what each one covers.
ISO 11064Ergonomic design of control centresTap to read more
Layout, workstation, display and environmental requirements for control rooms, from concept to evaluation.
ISO 6385Ergonomics of work systemsTap to read more
The principles behind designing work around people: tasks, equipment and environment together.
EEMUA 201Control room design guidanceTap to read more
Practical guidance on human-centred control room and HMI design for process industries.
EEMUA 191Alarm systemsTap to read more
How to design, manage and measure alarm systems so operators are not flooded.
ISA-18.2 / IEC 62682Alarm management lifecycleTap to read more
The lifecycle for alarm philosophy, rationalisation and performance monitoring.
ISA-101HMI designTap to read more
How operator screens should be structured, from plant overview down to equipment detail.
IOGP 454Human factors in projectsTap to read more
Human factors engineering built into capital projects from the start.
Your site codesLocal and owner specificationsTap to read more
Your own specifications and the codes in force where you build always take precedence.
Frequently asked questions
What is a control room assessment?
A structured review of how your control room is used and how well it supports operators, ending in a written finding and prioritised options.
Do we need to stop operations?
No. We assess a working room, and we watch it working, including how operators handle upsets.
Will you always recommend new consoles?
No. Often regrouping positions, changing what is on the screens or fixing glare does more than new furniture. When a smaller fix is enough, we say so.
Which standards do you refer to?
We assess with reference to ISO 11064 for control room ergonomics, and EEMUA 201 guidance on human-machine interfaces where it applies.
Do you assess rooms outside South Africa?
Yes. We work across Southern Africa and in the GCC.