Applied Ergonomics
1982, 13.3,163-170
Ergonomics investigations of work-places in a police command-control
centre equipped with TV displays
E. Haider, H. kuczak and W. Rohmert
Institut fur Arbeitswissenschaft, (Dir: Prof Dr-Ing Walter Rohmert) Petersenstr 30, Technical University
Darmstadt, German Federal RepublicErgonomics experiments were performed in a police command-control centre using computercontrolled text processing systems with three alternative input devices: function keys,
a
light pen and a touch panel. A group of 14 operators was examined while using the alternativedevices. Significant differences v~ere found between the devices in terms of the following:sensory and motor activities, local muscular strain, transgressions of tolerance limits
for
4-hour work sessions, and increases in heart rate. Suggestions for redesigning the controlcentre are given using anthropometric analysis. The paper also shows the relation betweenthe sub-optimal design of a work system and the resulting strain.
Keywords: Workplace layout, physiological effect, computerperipheral equipment.
Introduction
Text processing systems clearly show that newtechnologies determine work content and processes. Currentand future forms of communications and organisation arestructured by the hardware capabilities and constraints oftechnology. Various mental and psychological, and energyand motor demands, are imposed on the human operator.As a result of these demands, a thorough analysis of the newtechnologies is required with respect to their application inwork systems. The investigations presented here resultedfrom a practical problem. The introduction of the prototypeof a computer-controlled TV-displayed system ofinformation and documentation in a police command-control centre required the selection and positioning ofappropriate interface devices. Comparative investigationswere performed on the layout of three alternative devices -function keys, a light pen and a touch panel - forcommunication with a TV monitor. With the given layoutof the workplace we decided to analyse stressors and tomeasure strain effects on the human operator.
Description of the work system
The task of a police command-control centre can brieflybe described as follows:• coordination of police vehicles by radiotelephony,• answering emergency calls,• alerting ambulance and fire departments,• providing legal advice to patrols.The work procedure which has been employed in the pastmay be described by the following:Incoming telephone calls from members of the public arereceived at a desk. A handwritten record is mechanicallytransmitted to the dispatcher, who supervises the patrolvehicles by means of radio communications. Feed-backreports from the patrol vehicles, regarding actions whichhave been taken, enter the records.In the newly designed work system which was implementedfor this investigation, the incoming incident reports arereceived at a complaint operator's console. Using a displayedformat, the operator enters the information into a computer.The formatted information after being inputted into thecomputer can be recalled on a monitor by the dispatcherand is at his disposal for generating a report. Computercontrolled graphics are available on a third monitor (eg, townmaps and views of building on a plasma display) and furtherservices and data processing systems can be utilised.The investigations reported here were restricted to the tasksof dispatching and reporting. Potentially, it was possible touse three alternative devices to input information into thedisplays and into the computer system. These were (see Fig. 1):• numeric keys (Fig. 1a, top rows) associated with the rightand middle monitor for manipulating (see Fig. 2)numerically coded information in addition to the use ofan alphanumeric keyboard and function keys,• a light pen (Fig. lb) for selecting information by touchingthe monitor on the right (see Fig. 2) and inserting
0003-6870/82/03 0163-08 $03.00 (D 1982 Butterworth & Co (Publishers) Ltd
Applied rgonomics
September 1982
163
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