Page 17 - OHS, July/August 2024

part of the standard kit for lone workers on the job. ThThat is the combination to look for if satellite messaging might be a good solution.
The Power of Location
Everyone is used to having GPS on phones; so, it is easy to miss its amazing value. Global Positioning by Satellite (GPS) is a gift to the planet from the U.S. Air Force. It was devel- oped early in the Cold War when military leaders realized they had nuclear missiles aboard planes, submarines and ships but no way to know precisely where those assets were at any given moment. It was opened for commercial use in 1983 and has grown enormously in its applications since then.
Today, the power of location data ex- tends far beyond navigating the way home. Some GPS messaging systems provide a secure digital mapping application over the web, which displays the location of every device on the account. Digital maps can in- clude geofencing software that lets the user define an area in which the device is ap- proved to travel at any given time and then
receive an alert if it moves beyond those limits. ThThat’s useful when workers are in high-risk locations or need to protect their vehicles from theftft or misuse.
Use Cases
General Electric uses GPS messengers to provide essential connectivity to wind ener- gy workers as they visit installations around the world, frequently in areas with no cel- lular coverage. The combination of simple texting and GPS coordinates makes a big contribution to health, safety and efficiency.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) uses GPS messengers to support animal and plant health inspections, food safety inspections, farm service agents and forest service workers in the field. They al- low remote workers to check in, exchange messages and automatically report their location. Asset trackers attached to vehicles and heavy equipment send GPS location data on a user-determined schedule and can trigger alerts if the equipment is not where it should be.
Lumber companies send GPS messen- gers with their crews deep into trackless forests. In one example, the company was dispatching crews by helicopter and leaving the chopper on site all day in case of injury requiring medical evacuation. By equip- ping the crews with GPS messengers, the company freed up the helicopter fleet for transport duty but ensured they could still respond promptly to emergencies.
Young Mr. Potter found it very useful to be invisible when he wanted. But lone workers and their employers find that vis- ibility does a better job of protecting their health and safety as well as the productivity of their organizations.
Todd West, Sales Manager, NA for Global- star, is on a mission to connect people and businesses with innovative and reliable tech- nology. At Globalstar | SPOT, he handles sales of commercial IoT and GPS asset track- ing equipment and management platforms for North America’s commercial and govern- ment markets.
50+ years assisting the hazmat and dangerous goods industry
Wherever in the world hazardous materials are being manufactured, stored, transported, and used, CHEMTREC is available 24/7 to provide support needed to manage incidents.
Our Worldwide Services
By the
NUMBERS
24X7
WORLDWIDE SUPPORT
CUSTOMERS IN 120+ COUNTRIES
INTERPRETER SERVICES FOR 240+ LANGUAGES
SUPPORT 14,000+ GLOBAL BUSINESSES
ANNUALLY HANDLE OVER 100,000 CALLS
COVER ALL 9 CLASSES OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
Emergency Response
• 24/7 Phone Number
SDS Solutions
• Authoring
• Access
• Distribution
Training
• Online Hazmat Training
Incident Reporting
• 5800.1 Regulatory Reporting • Incident Report Distribution
Consulting Solutions
• Incident Preparedness • Risk Assessment and
Prevention
• Response and Recovery
Support
Battery Compliance
• 24/7 Emergency Phone Number
• CRITERION® Battery Test Summary Service
• Online Training
Learn more at chemtrec.com/ohs-chemtrec
Visit us at booth #1537 at Safety 2024 in Denver, CO!
www.ohsonline.com
JULY/AUGUST 2024 | Occupational Health & Safety 15