Caterpillar is set to launch its Connected Worker system that combines smart wearable technology with the power of analytics, to deliver an added layer of protection against a variety of safety risks on site.
Connected Worker is a Guardhat-developed safety and productivity solution for surface mining operations, scalable to accommodate both small and large operations.
The system improves safety by alerting all connected workers of hazardous situations in real-time, delivering up to a 50 per cent reduction in lost-time reportable incidents.
Connected Worker tracks worker location and has enhanced communications through audio, video and image transmission.
The worker safety system consists of three major components including wearable hardware, software that captures and reports data, and the Internet of Things (IoT) platform that receives reports from the field and pushes out potential safety risks to workers.
Connected Worker helps detect and report hazardous areas at the mine, unsafe exposure to environmental elements and communicates alerts to affected workers. The system communicates evacuation orders, fall detections, SOS signals and geofence violations.
The HC1 Hardhat is one of three wearable options available to communicate with workers, which delivers real-time positions through an embedded global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) chip.
The hardhat uses Ultra-Wideband (UWB) to increase situational awareness indoors by offering 3D-tracking – longitude, latitude and elevation – helping to quickly locate a worker in an emergency.
The second option is the TA1 wearable tag that delivers tracking GNSS and Bluetooth tracking outdoors. It provides SOS, evacuation and social distancing alerts as well as notifies workers of geofence breaches.
The third option is the smartphone app for Android devices that offers a solution for managing and monitoring team members in an outdoor environment. The app allows field managers to communicate with workers, issue SOS alerts and can be used to capture images and video of hazardous areas for reporting.
Connected Worker will be available in the first quarter of 2022.