When Safety Matters: Using Active RFID Down the Mines

摘要

RFID technology can help businesses track assets, manage logistics, and control supply chains. But the greatest promise may lie in enhanced security, access control, and safety for workers in highly dangerous environments. Watcher-ATS, an RFID system developed by the engineers of Norwegian WTEK AS, has proven particularly useful in mining and offshore oil platform applications. It's been said that if you think safety is expensive, try an accident. Growing demand for safety in workplaces around the world has resulted in tighter regulations. Keeping track of people and equipment for safety and security can be a personnel-intensive, time-consuming undertaking that diverts attention from an organization's primary business activities. Attempts to automate these basic, but not directly profit-generating, tasks are reflected in a wide range of products. Barcode and card-based systems dominate the marketplace. However, RFID enjoys several advantages over bar-code systems that make it a better choice for many security and safety situations.