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RFID Improves Safety, Efficiency of Brisbane Tunnel Construction
NLT issued personnel tags to all 1,700 employees, as well as to any visitor to the site, and has installed Wavetrend 433 MHz RFID readers.
"We have also placed readers at the entrance and exit points, as well as muster points above ground, where staff gather in the event of an emergency," Macer says. "But in addition to knowing where everyone is for safety reasons, the software can also track people by skills or qualification. So, if the company needs to find an electrician or a first-aid worker, it can search the database and find the person closest the situation. It allows the company to move its staff around more efficiently and effectively."
David Sheldon, TBM lead electrical engineer with LBB, says RFID technology was chosen to ensure best-practice safety standards during construction of the tunnels.
"The tunnel can be a hazardous environment, and if something was to happen in the tunnel, then we must be able to locate our staff and get them out as quickly as possible," he says. "RFID technology is a modern solution, and it has been very successful in locating our personnel."
Sheldon says the tunnels currently extend more than 700 meters, with readers deployed every 250 meters along both the main tunnels and a secondary tunnel for pipes and cables. As construction work proceeds, LBB will install additional readers, positioned at 250-meter intervals in the tunnels and at key above-ground work areas. As the tunnels reach their full length, the company expects to have deployed a total of some 60 RFID readers.
While the digital network was initially installed to locate staff underground and provide information on tunnel air quality, Sheldon says it has already been expanded because of additional benefits.
In addition to placing readers above ground at emergency assembly areas and other key locations, LBB has placed tags on diggers, loaders and other construction vehicles and mobile plant, allowing accurate tracking of assets.
In addition, the tags' passive 13.56 RFID inlays are being used to give staff access to the site buildings. The tags' passive transponders, in fact, were developed specifically to work with the access control technology already in place at those facilities.
NLT's Macer says the RFID technology was tested extensively in 2007 before being rolled out in January this year. After some early hiccups, it is now tracking staff and vehicles with greater accuracy, ensuring better efficiency and safety.
"The system will be in place for at least another two years until the project is finished," he says. "However, it may be left in place to allow the company to track staff and vehicles during maintenance of the tunnel."
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"We have also placed readers at the entrance and exit points, as well as muster points above ground, where staff gather in the event of an emergency," Macer says. "But in addition to knowing where everyone is for safety reasons, the software can also track people by skills or qualification. So, if the company needs to find an electrician or a first-aid worker, it can search the database and find the person closest the situation. It allows the company to move its staff around more efficiently and effectively."
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| Workers, as well as tunnel boring machines and other assets, are tracked by means of RFID tags. |
"The tunnel can be a hazardous environment, and if something was to happen in the tunnel, then we must be able to locate our staff and get them out as quickly as possible," he says. "RFID technology is a modern solution, and it has been very successful in locating our personnel."
Sheldon says the tunnels currently extend more than 700 meters, with readers deployed every 250 meters along both the main tunnels and a secondary tunnel for pipes and cables. As construction work proceeds, LBB will install additional readers, positioned at 250-meter intervals in the tunnels and at key above-ground work areas. As the tunnels reach their full length, the company expects to have deployed a total of some 60 RFID readers.
While the digital network was initially installed to locate staff underground and provide information on tunnel air quality, Sheldon says it has already been expanded because of additional benefits.
In addition to placing readers above ground at emergency assembly areas and other key locations, LBB has placed tags on diggers, loaders and other construction vehicles and mobile plant, allowing accurate tracking of assets.
In addition, the tags' passive 13.56 RFID inlays are being used to give staff access to the site buildings. The tags' passive transponders, in fact, were developed specifically to work with the access control technology already in place at those facilities.
"The system will be in place for at least another two years until the project is finished," he says. "However, it may be left in place to allow the company to track staff and vehicles during maintenance of the tunnel."
