In 2014, we built an entirely new 911 center. Prior to our new center, we were in a basement for 36 years, our last furniture system (a Xybix competitor) we had for over 10 years. “We won’t make that mistake again”. 

With another year of RSNA is behind us, we have had a weekend to rest up and now it is time to go back to work. With over 20 years of building and selling height adjustable desks for imaging centers and 24/7 markets I always like to cruise the show floor and see what is new each year at RSNA. 

I just got back from a job site visit, and the 911 center I visited had their computers sitting outside of the consoles on the floor. Not such a good idea because of all of the potential hazards, such as tripping over the computers, accidentally unplugging them, and/or just knocking them over.

I asked the dispatchers what was going on and if they had run out of room, and they told me that the CAD computers kept overheating sitting in the framework of the consoles. In addition to that, all of the rear access doors were also open to help keep the computers from overheating.  

Over the last couple of months, I have discovered that more and more agencies are wanting to go with a touch-screen phone system. This conversation is usually brought up when talking about the number and sizes of monitors agencies are looking to add to their workstations. Working in a 911 dispatch center myself, I have had a touch-screen monitor over the past eight years and rarely used it. You ask why? Well for one thing, the monitor is generally so far away from me, the end user, that I find myself reaching over to answer the incoming line. Personally, I would rather locate the mouse dedicated to the phone system on the desktop and click on the incoming line.  

As you know Hospitals are transitioning from monitoring patients vital signs at the nurse’s station to remote rooms in specialized labs within their hospital.  In Telemetry Labs several Technicians sit remotely at desks monitoring anywhere from 6-8 monitors viewing the vital signs of patients.  In the event a patient’s vital signs move out of an acceptable range the Technician contacts the nurse’s station.

The rats nest of cables. The constant unplugging of monitors. Speakers, keyboards and mice getting dragged off your desk every time your raise your console up so you can stand... Sound familiar? All of these issues are usually a result of poor cable management. (Unless you have a ghost in your dispatch center, if you do, please email me.) Cable management is more than correcting that bundle of cables hidden under your desk it also should include making sure that you have the appropriate length of cable extensions so that you can actually use your console to "stand" without the fear of unplugging. 

(Newly Updated for 2021)

Every time you pop into Costco, Kroger or Target, you’re guided by a status indicator light. Which checkout lanes are open and which ones are waiting for that dreaded manager assistance? Which self-checkouts are open and available? Is the line for the fast lane shorter than self-checkout? (Admittedly, this has nothing to do with the lights, but it makes me happy when it happens because I don’t have to decipher the code for my donuts.) No doubt you figured out the meaning of these checkstand lights by the time you were 2.

This past week I was sitting at home flipping through the TV channels, and I found myself involved in the first round of the Home Run Derby contest. The rules to this game are very simple; the players hit as many home runs as they can in a specific amount of time, and the players with the most home runs move onto the next round. It sounds simple, right? However, the further the players advance, the more tired they become, and I can only imagine what the players’ arms feel like when it gets down to the final two contestants..                        

Typically, a radiologist’s work environment is a very dark room with the exception of the light coming from the monitors the goal being to interpret the digital imaging on the screen. Because the rooms are very dark and the screens are very bright, eyes can become fatigued. This increases the likelihood of headaches, and overall discomfort.

A question frequently asked is, "why do I need divider panels in my comm center?" and “what’s the value of having fabric on them?”  Well, I'd like to help clarify what exactly a divider panel is and give a fun example of how sound can influence your conversations and why it should be important to you.

Divider panels in an office environment are primarily designed to help dampen noise as it is reflected around a room. When people use the radios, phones or talk they project noise which can be a distraction to you if you are quietly working away at your position or workstation. Often times, you'll not even notice acoustic sound barriers, yet they play in import role.