Northern Ireland Water has purchased more than 700 connected wearable devices by safety technology provider Blackline Safety Corp. for its frontline workers.
The devices – Blackline Safety’s G7c wearable cloud-connected multi-gas monitors, with integrated cellular connectivity and location technology – provide NI Water with the unprecedented ability to detect the presence of hazardous gases and obtain gas readings in real time, with built-in two-way communication, even deep underground.
Members of the Northern Ireland Water team are pictured more than 40 metres underground in a terminal pumping station in Belfast.
“NI Water’s priority is the safety and wellbeing of our staff, and while we operate to high industry safety standards, we are always seeking new technology and innovative solutions to increase safety and eliminate potential risks,” said Jason Devine, Senior Technical Trainer of NI Water. “The real-time visibility provided by the Blackline devices – combined with GPS location, messaging and indoor location compatible capabilities – were key features to augment safety across our organisation.”
G7c is the world’s first 3G-connected gas detector with integrated, as-it-happens lone worker monitoring and evacuation management tools. Fully scalable and supported by Blackline Live, Blackline Safety’s powerful, cloud-connected monitoring and data analytics platform, the technology enables organisations to view in real time all their workers’ locations and gas readings in the field, and configure their devices, from any Internet-connected smartphone, tablet or computer, no matter how remote the location.
The devices automatically watch over workers and call for help when needed. Should a gas leak, fall or a no-motion incident be detected, assisted-GPS capability guides responders directly to the worker’s location. G7c provides full-view insights for optimized emergency responses, enabling teams to react with all the information necessary for rescues in complex, hazardous environments.
“Our devices deliver layers of protection to ensure a critical lifeline in the event of an emergency,” said Simon Rich, Sales Director – Europe of Blackline Safety. “What’s more, this advanced technology not only allows organisations to actually see what’s happening in the field in real time so they can gain a better understanding of safety situations facing workers in the moment, but it also gives them the ability to analyze incident responses, identify areas for improvement, and predict what might happen in the future.”
Limerick-based OBW Technologies, Ireland’s leading national provider of portable and fixed gas detection instruments and solutions, participated in a public tender for the procurement of portable gas safety devices for NI Water and recommended Blackline Safety’s G7c monitors.
