Emerson, St. Louis, MO, has enhanced its Location Awareness technology to include social-density management and contact tracing to protect employee health and help essential industries continue operations safely during challenging times. Part of the company’s Plantweb, digital ecosystem, this Location Awareness solution is said to offer an easy-to-install, cost-effective, reliable solution for safeguarding personnel and helping create new work processes and practices for operational continuity.
Utilizing WirelessHART networks, along with battery-powered anchors and rechargeable personnel location tags, Location Awareness is said to provide relevant-time, safety-focused monitoring of workers, improved safety mustering, and more effective safety alerts. According to the company, it’s estimated that the system can help address more than 70% of common personnel-recordable incidents. The technology also can be installed in just days, compared to weeks for existing systems, and costs less than half of traditional alternatives.
HOW IT WORKS
The updated Location Awareness technology enables manufacturers to use the Plantweb Insight application to digitally design geofenced areas that limit the number of personnel in specific locations and promote social distancing, consistent with safety guidelines and best practices recommended by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) guidance during COVID-19 pandemic. If the social density, e.g., the number of people in a given area, exceeds the predetermined threshold, an alert is sent to the operator.
The technology also provides reports for contact tracing in the event an employee becomes ill, allowing employers to quickly identify and notify other employees who may have come in contact with the individual and, accordingly, determine areas requiring deep cleaning. Plantweb Insight data will help identify high-risk scenarios and determine preferred manufacturing workflows for enhanced safety.
The company notes that Location Awareness can be used for safety mustering for drills and emergencies, as well as safety alerts initiated by personnel involved with or observing dangerous situations. The advanced technology also can be used in creating known hazardous zones and contractor-work zones using geofencing.
