Equipment World Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/732903
September 2016 | EquipmentWorld.com 52 Having the data is the first step towards making improvements. "You may inherently know a schedule is bad, but without some information or data, it becomes a very emotional topic," Dawson says. "But if you have data to show that a specific schedule results in lower alertness scores, then you have a rational basis for discussing changes." In the program, only the indi- vidual volunteers see their own specific data. But the group data, collected anonymously, can be studied to find trends. "You can look at how one site performs vs. another site, one shift vs. another shift, or how people handle recov- ery after a string of night shifts," Dawson says. Driver monitoring The DSS technology that Cat- erpillar Safety Services is using can supplement what companies and workers learn from their Smartband data. These use in-cab cameras to look for head nods, droopy eyelids, and evidence of "microsleep events," where a driver nods off for just a second or two. The DSS program also includes sensors that monitor the truck for events such as swerving, hard braking, excessive speed or driv- ing away with the dump body raised. Software systems behind the camera and sensor inputs can determine if these behaviors constitute a high-risk driver and send out alerts telematically to dispatchers. "We're starting to see some interesting correlations where the watch is predicting a high risk zone for a driver and fatigue- related microsleep event in the cab," says Dawson. Expanded use While Caterpillar's Smartband solu- tion is currently used in just mining applications, Dawson says there is no doubt that this and similar systems will migrate into the con- struction environment soon. Similar systems are already being used by the railroads, airlines, and oil and gas industries, he says. "The haul trucks are an easy target," says Dawson. "When you look at a dozer, or grader, or shov- el operator, it's a different type of work. We are doing some tests on those. But, because the field of view is different and people are looking in different ways, moving around a lot more, there are some challenges to make that a reliable solution." technology | continued To order, call (800) 430-4540 or visit www.equipmentworld.com/roady-order-form Email: roady@equipmentworld.com Roady_EW_halfpage_EW0415.indd 1 3/25/15 8:52 AM