Dear Jim, here is the article from the Vancouver Province in it's entirety:-
"Buddy System goes Remote" By Mark Wilson Staff Reporter.
The buddy system to safeguard workers entering boilers and other confined spaces is
being given a wireless dimension by Vancouver based Roper Resources Inc.
Roper has acquired the distribution rights in Canada and Alaska for a monitoring
system that allows up to 100 workers to work alone while remaining in data and voice
contact with a remote-control site.
As part of the deal, Roper has provided funding to Safe Environment Engineering , of
Valencia, Calif., which developed the technology. Roper's financial support has
allowed Safe Environment to develop a new, more compact sensor and
communications device to be worn by workers potentially at risk.
Don White, a vice-president of Roper, said regulations have required workers entering
confined spaces to be monitored by somebody who remains outside but nearby. If the
designated human monitor lacks required first-aid skills, a third person may be needed.
Roper said U.S. safety regulations have been modified to allow the Life Line
monitoring system from Safe Environment to replace a human observer.
Richard Watson, president of Roper, said the Boeing Commercial Airplane
Group is using 750 personal monitors at it's Everett plant.
The monitors at Boeing are used in conjunction with a dozen portable consoles
and two fixed consoles.
Workers have to reset a button on their personal monitor at regular intervals
otherwise an alarm sounds. They can press another button to send an alarm signal or
they can talk to a controller. The consoles display plan drawings of work sites so that
the position of each worker can be precisely identified.
Roper said Life Line has many potential applications. One use could be in
prisons, tracking the whereabouts of guards and automatically giving warning if they
are assaulted.
The technology is not cheap. A personal monitor costs $3,000 US, or $4,000 if
a gas detector is fitted.
A portable console sells for $50,000 US.
Roper which began life as a mining company, is changing it's name to Safe
Environment Engineering Canada Ltd.
Text taken from the Vancouver Province Newspaper Money section 18 September 1998. |
