OSV operator P&O
Maritime Logistics is taking a personnel-monitoring technology developed for
truckers and heavy equipment operators to the sea. In order to give its
mariners advance warning about their fatigue levels, P&O has contracted
with SmartCap, the maker of the LifeBand EEG headband and fatigue sensing
system.
SmartCap's wearable band
fits into any hat or hardhat, and it uses standard brainwave measurement
technology to figure out when the wearer is feeling tired. Using Bluetooth, it
sends its measurements to an app on an Android device, and the app alerts the
wearer if they start showing signs of fatigue.
SmartCap says that the
key to its technology is in sending private early warning alerts to the wearer
before escalating a fatigue alert to management. By keeping the first alert
private, SmartCap gives the worker (or mariner) an opportunity to fix their
fatigue early.
SmartCap is an Australian
firm owned by Hitachi Construction Machinery, and it originally developed its
product for the mining industry. According to the firm, companies that have
used SmartCap as part of their safety procedures have reported a decline in fatigue-related
incidents. This is among the firm's first ventures into the maritime world.
After testing the
technology on a group of employees based at Jebel Ali, P&O Maritime says
that it will review the system's performance and consider ways to roll it out
to the rest of its fleet.
"As P&O Maritime
Logistics is a tech-driven business, the SmartCap system is an exciting way we
can look to introduce innovative solutions that help in our efforts to
continuously boost our high safety standards. With technology such as SmartCap,
it also gives us a high-level view of our safety program and will help us track
fatigue across our crews," said Martin Helweg, CEO of P&O Maritime
Logistics.