In New Zealand a former rugby league coach has adapted a piece of sporting equipment for the forestry sector in an effort to save lives. Sources: Radio New Zealand, 3News, TVNZ
Graham Lowe has designed a GPS monitoring vest that can measure workers’ fatigue levels by gathering data on their heart beat and hydration levels, which he said is almost ready to be launched.
Last year set an unwelcome record for forestry incidents, with 10 deaths and more than 150 serious injuries.
Lowe said fatigue inhibits sports performance and the effect is even more profound for forestry workers.
“Coming from a sporting background, I know how thoroughly fatigue is measured, so why not apply that same sort of technology to these guys who are working harder in all sorts of weather?”
Forestry Contractors Association chief executive John Stulen said the device would be a welcome innovation, and although technology would not fix all safety concerns, this tool could address the problem of fatigue.
Stulen said it is already known that many of the incidents and serious harm happen just before the lunch break, and just before the end of the work day.
The bio-harness measures the body’s functions and Lowe thinks the forestry industry should be able to use it to detect when lumberjacks get tired.
Other high-risk industries such as firefighters and the military have already cottoned on and are using this technology.
With business partner Rachel Lehen, Lowe has formed a company, Lowie Fatigue Management. They have taken GPS monitoring vests used by professional athletes, and remodelled them for forestry workers.
The vests measure core temperature, heart rate, respiration, hydration, perspiration, whether workers are standing or sitting and their GPS position.
Researchers would study that data to measure whether workers were dangerously tired.
Lehen said it’s known that tired workers were more likely to make bad decisions and cut corners. She said industrial health and safety had in the past concentrated on safety measures and “grossly overlooked” individual health.
Staff employed for HarvestPro, one of New Zealand’s biggest logging sub-contractors, will begin wearing the vests.
“Just to have some objective measure of fatigue is priceless. At this point, I’ve got nothing, no means of judging how impaired someone is,” said HarvestPro northern manager Roger Leaming.
