The use of GPS-operated machine control and mining machinery tracking systems has been proven to cut both fuel consumption and operational costs of fleet machinery and vehicles.
A study carried by the Aberdeen Group, a US-based industry research firm that examines the effects and implications of industrial technology, has shown that vehicles and fleets with GPS tracking installed experience a 13 per cent reduction in fuel costs on average.
One of the most obvious and money-saving ways in which a GPS tracking device can cut these costs is by monitoring the idling time of a vehicle or machine.
According to Ford Motor Company, every hour of idle time is equal to approximately 25 miles of driving, where as, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency, restarting an engine uses no more fuel than 30 seconds of idling and has very little harmful impact on vehicle components.
A quality GPS tracking systems notifies when a vehicle idles for excessive periods of time, wasting fuel and being non-productive. A survey of trucking and haulage companies in the US by Aberdeen showed that many already take advantage of idling reports found on most GPS tracking systems, and are able to monitor the efficient usage of their vehicles and machines.
Wednesday, 11 May 2011
Thursday, 5 May 2011
Promoting safety among lone workers
KEY POINTS
* Lone workers typically are very self-motivated and independent by nature, so a command and control style of safety management often is ineffective.
* Using Internet-based programs can help promote communication and safety among lone workers, but should not be relied on exclusively for training purposes.
* Working together with lone workers can help managers better understand their needs and help them invest in safety while in the field.
Monitoring and managing the safe behavior of a workforce can be a difficult task, even in an enclosed environment. Yet employees who work autonomously create even greater challenges for safety managers and workplace supervisors.
Although the term “lone worker” also covers those performing individual jobs on a worksite – such as a job task in an area of the plant that cannot be easily viewed by co-workers, or even a receptionist in a large office building – the needs of remote workers who cannot be supervised through conventional means present perhaps the greatest challenge.
'The issue of managing lone workers is one more organizations are facing,' said Robert Pater, managing director of the training program MoveSMART for Portland, OR-based Strategic Safety Associates. Autonomous work is a growing trend. “The model that many organizations are using is to get out to where the work is,” he said. “We have found that almost every organization has some lone workers. … Autonomous workers are [accounting for] an increasingly large percentage of the workforce.”
* Lone workers typically are very self-motivated and independent by nature, so a command and control style of safety management often is ineffective.
* Using Internet-based programs can help promote communication and safety among lone workers, but should not be relied on exclusively for training purposes.
* Working together with lone workers can help managers better understand their needs and help them invest in safety while in the field.
Monitoring and managing the safe behavior of a workforce can be a difficult task, even in an enclosed environment. Yet employees who work autonomously create even greater challenges for safety managers and workplace supervisors.
Although the term “lone worker” also covers those performing individual jobs on a worksite – such as a job task in an area of the plant that cannot be easily viewed by co-workers, or even a receptionist in a large office building – the needs of remote workers who cannot be supervised through conventional means present perhaps the greatest challenge.
'The issue of managing lone workers is one more organizations are facing,' said Robert Pater, managing director of the training program MoveSMART for Portland, OR-based Strategic Safety Associates. Autonomous work is a growing trend. “The model that many organizations are using is to get out to where the work is,” he said. “We have found that almost every organization has some lone workers. … Autonomous workers are [accounting for] an increasingly large percentage of the workforce.”
Thursday, 21 April 2011
GPS tracking in domestic violence cases
It’s a saying common in legal circles — an order of protection is a piece of paper that won’t stop a knife or a bullet.
Travis County Court Division 4 Judge Mike Denton of Austin, Texas, says he understands the reasoning behind that saying even if he doesn’t completely agree with it. Denton said an order of protection can be very effective if it is enforced. In most cases, people who are prohibited from coming in contact with someone by an order of protection will obey the order. In some cases, however, people just aren’t reasonable and that’s where heightened enforcement is important.
“I think the more we do to enforce it, the more effective it is,” he said. “It’s not a self-enforcing document.”
Denton was in Fayetteville last week as one of the presenters at the Best Practices for Domestic Violence and Child Custody continuing legal education (CLE) seminar put on by Legal Aid of Arkansas. Denton presides over a number family law cases and, as such, has seen his share of domestic abuse situations.
He was at the seminar to talk, in part, about how to get communities involved in curbing domestic violence. One of the methods his court has used since about 2002 is global positioning satellite (GPS) tracking in those cases involving “a real threat” of bodily harm to one of the parties.
Denton said GPS tracking can be effective, but it does require the cooperation of a number of parties. A court might order GPS tracking, but the local prosecutor’s office, law enforcement officials and even the monitoring company have to be on the same page to make it an attractive way to curb domestic violence.
How does the technology work? Denton said he generally orders the use of GPS tracking to exclude people from certain areas. For example, an abusive husband going through a divorce might be ordered to stay away from his wife’s employment, school or home. If the person ordered to wear the GPS tracking device goes into one of those zones, the monitoring company is alerted and law enforcement officials can be dispatched to the scene immediately.
Again, that kind of coordinated effort takes the cooperation of a number of parties. When that cooperation is present, Denton said GPS tracking can effectively curb domestic violence from occurring.
“It takes a team effort,” he said. “It’s not an easy, snap your fingers process.”
Denton pointed out that GPS tracking isn’t appropriate in every case — just the ones where danger is a real threat. He said the technology reaches past the domestic realm, too, pointing out that some criminal courts have used it effectively. For example, someone who has been convicted of sexual abuse of a minor might be excluded through GPS tracking from entering a school zone.
How does one get fitted with a GPS tracking device? Denton said a defendant might be ordered to wear one as a condition for being released from detention on bond or the court can simply order a defendant to wear one if the judge finds the alleged abuser poses a legitimate threat to the person seeking an order of protection.
Denton said the technology is relatively new, pointing out he’s been using if for around nine years but the use of GPS tracking was codified into Texas state law over the past couple of years.
The judge said he’s sold on the effectiveness of GPS tracking, pointing out he’s in the process requesting more units from Travis County. Denton said GPS tracking costs about $300 to $350 a month and that cost is typically paid by the person who is tracked. However, in some cases the respondent doesn’t have the means to pay for tracking — that’s where the county or state should step in and pick up some of the costs for the service and equipment.
In Arkansas, Springdale City Attorney Jeff Harper said GPS tracking is seeing some use here in the Natural State. He said the technology is most commonly used in criminal cases, but there have been some instances where GPS tracking has been ordered in domestic abuse situations.
“It’s worked for us and it’s worked well,” he said of the technology.
Travis County Court Division 4 Judge Mike Denton of Austin, Texas, says he understands the reasoning behind that saying even if he doesn’t completely agree with it. Denton said an order of protection can be very effective if it is enforced. In most cases, people who are prohibited from coming in contact with someone by an order of protection will obey the order. In some cases, however, people just aren’t reasonable and that’s where heightened enforcement is important.
“I think the more we do to enforce it, the more effective it is,” he said. “It’s not a self-enforcing document.”
Denton was in Fayetteville last week as one of the presenters at the Best Practices for Domestic Violence and Child Custody continuing legal education (CLE) seminar put on by Legal Aid of Arkansas. Denton presides over a number family law cases and, as such, has seen his share of domestic abuse situations.
He was at the seminar to talk, in part, about how to get communities involved in curbing domestic violence. One of the methods his court has used since about 2002 is global positioning satellite (GPS) tracking in those cases involving “a real threat” of bodily harm to one of the parties.
Denton said GPS tracking can be effective, but it does require the cooperation of a number of parties. A court might order GPS tracking, but the local prosecutor’s office, law enforcement officials and even the monitoring company have to be on the same page to make it an attractive way to curb domestic violence.
How does the technology work? Denton said he generally orders the use of GPS tracking to exclude people from certain areas. For example, an abusive husband going through a divorce might be ordered to stay away from his wife’s employment, school or home. If the person ordered to wear the GPS tracking device goes into one of those zones, the monitoring company is alerted and law enforcement officials can be dispatched to the scene immediately.
Again, that kind of coordinated effort takes the cooperation of a number of parties. When that cooperation is present, Denton said GPS tracking can effectively curb domestic violence from occurring.
“It takes a team effort,” he said. “It’s not an easy, snap your fingers process.”
Denton pointed out that GPS tracking isn’t appropriate in every case — just the ones where danger is a real threat. He said the technology reaches past the domestic realm, too, pointing out that some criminal courts have used it effectively. For example, someone who has been convicted of sexual abuse of a minor might be excluded through GPS tracking from entering a school zone.
How does one get fitted with a GPS tracking device? Denton said a defendant might be ordered to wear one as a condition for being released from detention on bond or the court can simply order a defendant to wear one if the judge finds the alleged abuser poses a legitimate threat to the person seeking an order of protection.
Denton said the technology is relatively new, pointing out he’s been using if for around nine years but the use of GPS tracking was codified into Texas state law over the past couple of years.
The judge said he’s sold on the effectiveness of GPS tracking, pointing out he’s in the process requesting more units from Travis County. Denton said GPS tracking costs about $300 to $350 a month and that cost is typically paid by the person who is tracked. However, in some cases the respondent doesn’t have the means to pay for tracking — that’s where the county or state should step in and pick up some of the costs for the service and equipment.
In Arkansas, Springdale City Attorney Jeff Harper said GPS tracking is seeing some use here in the Natural State. He said the technology is most commonly used in criminal cases, but there have been some instances where GPS tracking has been ordered in domestic abuse situations.
“It’s worked for us and it’s worked well,” he said of the technology.
Read orginal article here.
Tuesday, 19 April 2011
Remote digging machine sent to help trapped Idaho miner
A drone digging machine arrived on Sunday at a silver mine in Idaho where a lone worker has been trapped by a cave-in more than a mile underground with no outside contact since late Friday.
The miner, Larry Marek, 53, a 30-year veteran of the industry, was tapping a vein of silver in a mine owned by Hecla Mining Company in northern Idaho when a section of tunnel collapsed for unknown reasons, according to the company.
A second miner he was working with escaped without injury, but rescuers have had no contact with Marek since the accident on Friday evening. His condition was unknown.
Commercial operations at the Lucky Friday Mine were immediately suspended, and the mine was in "full rescue operation," company officials said.
"We are in communications with the family and have been keeping them up to date," Melanie Hennessey, a Helca executive, said in a statement on Sunday. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends."
As of Sunday morning, 10-person rescue teams working around the clock had cleared about 25 feet of an estimated 75-foot blockage in a collapsed corridor separating crews from the trapped miner, securing the ground as they advanced.
The company flew in a special excavation machine known as a mucker that can be operated by remote control. The drone digger arrived on Sunday morning and had to be disassembled to be taken a mile down into the mine and put back together.
Mine officials said the mucker would accelerate the pace of digging since the time-consuming practice of securing the tunnel roof as digging proceeded was unnecessary for a drone.
Hennessey, Helca's vice president for investor relations, said they company was focused entirely on the rescue and has not yet "focused on why and how this occurred."
The accident comes as Hecla is seeking to expand the depth of the Lucky Friday to 8,000 feet. It occurred the same day the U.S. Department of Labor released a report faulting federal mining inspectors who oversee safety for failing in some instances last year to "properly evaluate the gravity and negligence in certain citations."
Hecla employs 275 workers and 100 contractors at Lucky Friday, a hard-rock mine in an historic silver-mining district east of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, near the Idaho-Montana border.
The operation uses a mining method known as cut-and-fill, where cuts into silver-bearing ore are back-filled with waste rock before a new section of the vein is tapped. The ore is hauled to the surface, where it is milled into a concentrate shipped to British Columbia for smelting.
The mine, which has been in production for nearly 70 years, yielded 3.4 million ounces of silver in 2009.
Lucky Friday is one of three active mines in the United States owned by Hecla, which is based in Coeur d'Alene.
The miner, Larry Marek, 53, a 30-year veteran of the industry, was tapping a vein of silver in a mine owned by Hecla Mining Company in northern Idaho when a section of tunnel collapsed for unknown reasons, according to the company.
A second miner he was working with escaped without injury, but rescuers have had no contact with Marek since the accident on Friday evening. His condition was unknown.
Commercial operations at the Lucky Friday Mine were immediately suspended, and the mine was in "full rescue operation," company officials said.
"We are in communications with the family and have been keeping them up to date," Melanie Hennessey, a Helca executive, said in a statement on Sunday. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends."
As of Sunday morning, 10-person rescue teams working around the clock had cleared about 25 feet of an estimated 75-foot blockage in a collapsed corridor separating crews from the trapped miner, securing the ground as they advanced.
The company flew in a special excavation machine known as a mucker that can be operated by remote control. The drone digger arrived on Sunday morning and had to be disassembled to be taken a mile down into the mine and put back together.
Mine officials said the mucker would accelerate the pace of digging since the time-consuming practice of securing the tunnel roof as digging proceeded was unnecessary for a drone.
Hennessey, Helca's vice president for investor relations, said they company was focused entirely on the rescue and has not yet "focused on why and how this occurred."
The accident comes as Hecla is seeking to expand the depth of the Lucky Friday to 8,000 feet. It occurred the same day the U.S. Department of Labor released a report faulting federal mining inspectors who oversee safety for failing in some instances last year to "properly evaluate the gravity and negligence in certain citations."
Hecla employs 275 workers and 100 contractors at Lucky Friday, a hard-rock mine in an historic silver-mining district east of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, near the Idaho-Montana border.
The operation uses a mining method known as cut-and-fill, where cuts into silver-bearing ore are back-filled with waste rock before a new section of the vein is tapped. The ore is hauled to the surface, where it is milled into a concentrate shipped to British Columbia for smelting.
The mine, which has been in production for nearly 70 years, yielded 3.4 million ounces of silver in 2009.
Lucky Friday is one of three active mines in the United States owned by Hecla, which is based in Coeur d'Alene.
Tuesday, 12 April 2011
Free Telehealth Course for all Housing Workers and Tenants
Caring for the growing elderly population means there is an urgent need to lay the foundations for the rapid and widespread adoption of telecare solutions across the UK but according to Housing e-Academy, the housing sector has been slow to switch on to the range of telecare available and the huge benefits it could bring to their residents.
Why is Telecare so Important?
Chloe Weatherhead Head of Housing e-Academy said: “Telecare supports independent living by providing health care services from a distance and our sister organisation Telesolutions e-Academy has found that the social housing sector is being particularly slow at switching on to the benefits.
“Budgets are being squeezed at every level and so the timing of the ‘telecare revolution’ could not be better as the financial and resource benefits are enormous.”
By 2025, the number of people over 85 will have increased by 70% to 1.9 million, and over the next 50 years the number of over 65's looks set to rise from 9.3 million to 16.8 million. With this staggering increase in the ageing population the demand for better technology has never been greater.
A report from the Centre for Social Justice on issues impacting on older people said:
‘The provision of assistive equipment can be hugely beneficial on maintaining or improving an older person’s quality of life. Yet, as an Audit Commission report recently revealed, low importance is attached to such equipment. This is in spite of mass research finding it provides good outcomes and reduced costs.’
“The housing and care sectors are facing what could be a major crisis which will have a hugely detrimental impact on the elderly,” adds Chloe.
Promoting Awareness of Telesolutions
“We are so concerned about this potential demographic time bomb that Housing e-Academy has teamed up with its business partner Telesolutions e-Academy to offer a new FREE course to social housing providers and tenants which who want to find out more about the range of products and services available to help people remain in their homes.
“Many people working in care and support may not be aware of how widely telecare can be used. It’s not just a tool for the elderly - it can be used to assist anyone with a healthcare issue and so also has implications for general needs tenants with vulnerable family members.”
Free Online Course for all Social Housing Providers and Tenants
To access the FREE course ‘An Introduction to Telehealth and Telecare’ click on the link and follow the on screen instructions. When registering for the course please choose ‘social housing provider’ from the list of organisations. The promotional code to entitle you to the free course is Housing2011.
Why is Telecare so Important?
Chloe Weatherhead Head of Housing e-Academy said: “Telecare supports independent living by providing health care services from a distance and our sister organisation Telesolutions e-Academy has found that the social housing sector is being particularly slow at switching on to the benefits.
“Budgets are being squeezed at every level and so the timing of the ‘telecare revolution’ could not be better as the financial and resource benefits are enormous.”
By 2025, the number of people over 85 will have increased by 70% to 1.9 million, and over the next 50 years the number of over 65's looks set to rise from 9.3 million to 16.8 million. With this staggering increase in the ageing population the demand for better technology has never been greater.
A report from the Centre for Social Justice on issues impacting on older people said:
‘The provision of assistive equipment can be hugely beneficial on maintaining or improving an older person’s quality of life. Yet, as an Audit Commission report recently revealed, low importance is attached to such equipment. This is in spite of mass research finding it provides good outcomes and reduced costs.’
“The housing and care sectors are facing what could be a major crisis which will have a hugely detrimental impact on the elderly,” adds Chloe.
Promoting Awareness of Telesolutions
“We are so concerned about this potential demographic time bomb that Housing e-Academy has teamed up with its business partner Telesolutions e-Academy to offer a new FREE course to social housing providers and tenants which who want to find out more about the range of products and services available to help people remain in their homes.
“Many people working in care and support may not be aware of how widely telecare can be used. It’s not just a tool for the elderly - it can be used to assist anyone with a healthcare issue and so also has implications for general needs tenants with vulnerable family members.”
Free Online Course for all Social Housing Providers and Tenants
To access the FREE course ‘An Introduction to Telehealth and Telecare’ click on the link and follow the on screen instructions. When registering for the course please choose ‘social housing provider’ from the list of organisations. The promotional code to entitle you to the free course is Housing2011.
Friday, 8 April 2011
Showcase telecare ‘Smart Home’ goes on display in Slough
Slough Borough Council has teamed up with leading telecare expert Cirrus to show how its latest technology can be installed in the home.
The Cirrus ‘Smart Home’ showcases emerging technology designed to help vulnerable and elderly people live independently. The flat was opened officially by Councillor Roger Davis and Peter Webster, Slough Borough Council CCTV and Careline Centre Manager, on Thursday 24 March, giving local residents their first chance to get ‘hands on’ with the technology.
Cirrus is working with a range of partners including Tynetec, CareTech, SafeLinQ and CentriHealth, to provide cutting edge telehealth and telecare aids to the people of Slough. On display are telecare devices designed to protect individuals such as personal alarms, fall detectors and mobile tracking devices like the SmartLinQ. The latter uses GPS to track the persons location to the nearest five metres, providing reassurance to people with mental health issues when they are away from home. The flat will be fitted with smoke and CO detectors, bed sensors, an electronic ‘corkboard’ memory prompt to help dementia sufferers and equipment which can monitor long term conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetes and hypertension.
The project came to fruition after Slough Borough Council asked Cirrus to help it show residents what devices were on the market and how these could be used to manage health problems in their homes.
The flat, which has involved advisors from the Department of Health, will also give the council’s occupational therapy team a ‘live’ training environment for new staff and residents.
Peter Webster said, “Cirrus has provided us with the perfect showcase for the latest security and telecare equipment that can be installed in people’s homes. We want to focus on the benefits of these services rather than the technology itself.”
Andy Davey, head of Cirrus, added: “This Smart Home is the best way to show residents and their families the different devices that can help people live in their own homes while receiving the help they need. As new technologies come to market they will be introduced to the Smart Home.”
The flat will remain open for at least six months.
The Cirrus ‘Smart Home’ showcases emerging technology designed to help vulnerable and elderly people live independently. The flat was opened officially by Councillor Roger Davis and Peter Webster, Slough Borough Council CCTV and Careline Centre Manager, on Thursday 24 March, giving local residents their first chance to get ‘hands on’ with the technology.
Cirrus is working with a range of partners including Tynetec, CareTech, SafeLinQ and CentriHealth, to provide cutting edge telehealth and telecare aids to the people of Slough. On display are telecare devices designed to protect individuals such as personal alarms, fall detectors and mobile tracking devices like the SmartLinQ. The latter uses GPS to track the persons location to the nearest five metres, providing reassurance to people with mental health issues when they are away from home. The flat will be fitted with smoke and CO detectors, bed sensors, an electronic ‘corkboard’ memory prompt to help dementia sufferers and equipment which can monitor long term conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetes and hypertension.
The project came to fruition after Slough Borough Council asked Cirrus to help it show residents what devices were on the market and how these could be used to manage health problems in their homes.
The flat, which has involved advisors from the Department of Health, will also give the council’s occupational therapy team a ‘live’ training environment for new staff and residents.
Peter Webster said, “Cirrus has provided us with the perfect showcase for the latest security and telecare equipment that can be installed in people’s homes. We want to focus on the benefits of these services rather than the technology itself.”
Andy Davey, head of Cirrus, added: “This Smart Home is the best way to show residents and their families the different devices that can help people live in their own homes while receiving the help they need. As new technologies come to market they will be introduced to the Smart Home.”
The flat will remain open for at least six months.
ExtraCare Charitable Trust names Cirrus as an official contractor
The ExtraCare Charitable Trust has named leading independent telecare and security systems provider Cirrus as their official contractor for the provision of life safety and security systems.
Cirrus Communications Systems Ltd has worked with ExtraCare at five of their prestigious villages and is currently involved on the latest development at Shenley Wood, Milton Keynes, which opens in Spring 2012.
The agreement is expected to reduce the complexity of the tender and contracting process normally associated with design and build projects. It will ensure that the systems installed meet ExtraCare’s expectations for functionality, flexibility and ease of use. In addition, it will enable more accurate forecasting of costs for future developments. Contractors will also benefit from being provided with a clearly defined package of systems managed by an experienced team.
Andy Davey, Managing Director of Cirrus said “Being involved in the planning process from the start means Cirrus can work with all the construction partners and ensure safety and security systems are aligned to the clients vision.”
Kevin Hudson of the ExtraCare Charitable Trust said “Cirrus have made a considerable investment to fully understand the needs of our Operations Team and have structured their business to ensure that our requirements are met from initial design, through to testing and commissioning. Their post-contract support is focused on our reliance on these critical systems and has given us the confidence to appoint them as a named contractor.”
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