Safety-critical software targeting Covid-19

Gas and flame equipment specialist Trigas Agencies is helping in the fight against Covid-19: it’s distributing an exciting offering from Blackline Safety – a global safety-technology provider.

“The first instrument they offered, called the Loner, was intended for employees working alone and remotely,” says Alan Lewis, managing member of Trigas.
This tool connected via cellphone and GPS networks and was used to detect safety critical events, such as zero movement. “If an employee had an issue, the device immediately connected to the portal,” he adds. “This would give the operator a chance to see exactly where this person was.”

Blackline subsequently brought out the G7 device, which offers gas detection and emergency response management as an optional extra. “The company also offers the Loner Mobile app, which can be downloaded for a fee and subscription charge, and goes back to the same portal,” says Lewis. “It allows employers to monitor employees for all emergency purposes.”

Both the G7 wearable and Loner Mobile offer two-way-communication between the operator and employees.

He adds: “Now, with Covid-19 impacting the world, all the required traceability is there, because these devices are connected at all times to the cellphone and GPS network. It gives you pinpoint accuracy about where each individual is located.”

The built-in direct-to-cloud connectivity and GPS mean that Blackline’s solutions work everywhere.

The G7 wearable and Loner app can be used to monitor contact tracing and social distancing. “The portal allows operators to see where every single individual is, and has been, as they are tracked 24/7 while at work,” says Lewis.

Companies could also set a predetermined distance that the devices are permitted to be from each other, say, 2m.

“If you have an employee who tests positive for Covid-19, the safety practitioners can backtrack and see exactly who this individual has been in contact with, and when, over the period that they were monitored,” says Lewis.

Employers could then warn the relevant employees, who can then self-isolate, and identify the locations that they have to clean and sanitise.