A new air-traffic control centre designed to accommodate the diverse needs of a range of personnel carrying out highly complex tasks has won a prestigious ergonomics award.

The Human Factors Group from NATS (formerly National Air Traffic Services) was presented with the President’s Medal by the Institute of Ergonomics & Human Factors (IEHF) at its conference last week. The Group was recognised for its contribution to the design of the new Prestwick Air Traffic Control Centre, which opened last year and replaced two control centres – one in Manchester and the other in Scotland.

The Human Factors Group had to address differing air-traffic control and engineering practices at the two sites, as well as the challenge of designing a working environment that enabled everyone in it to work as effectively and safely as possible.
 
Such elements as lighting levels, room temperature, lines of sight and communications were all considered, and the resulting workstation design took into account the need for engineering teams to maintain equipment, diagnose faults and replace parts, with the minimum of disruption to operations.
 


Accepting the award, the Group’s head, Liz Skinner, explained that the  design of the Prestwick Centre represented outstanding application of ergonomics principles, methods and knowledge, and has resulted in an environment that not only supports the air-traffic control staff but also the requirement of engineering and support staff.
 


Liz added: “NATS prides itself on the integration of human factors into all projects it undertakes. This award recognises a team effort over many years. We are delighted that this has been recognised by the IEHF.”
 


The President’s Medal is awarded for work that has made a significant contribution to original research, the development of methodology, or application of knowledge within the field of ergonomics.