OPTALERT’s two most senior scientists will present research papers at the 8th International Conference on Managing Fatigue in Transportation, Resources and Health, to be held in Fremantle, Western Australia in late March.
Underscoring OPTALERT’s dedication to continuous improvement through an ongoing commitment to Research and Development, the respected scientists will individually deliver papers relating to the long term research they have undertaken into fatigue-related driver safety, which has formed the basis for the company’s unique technological point of difference.
An established and respected forum for research updates and discussion in the fatigue management community, the ‘Managing Fatigue’ conference series was first convened in 1992 and has most recently been held in Seattle and Boston.
Each conference has primarily focused on the effects of fatigue in the transportation sector, but that focus has also evolved over the years to encompass a wider arena including sectors such as Aviation, Maritime, Industrial, Resources and Health.
OPTALERT founder and now Chief Scientist, Dr Murray Johns (standing above right) will present a paper at the conference titled ‘Who is too drowsy to drive?’, while OPTALERT Senior Scientist, Dr Andrew Tucker (standing far left) will deliver a presentation on ‘Real-time monitoring of alertness in drivers of mine haulage trucks during routine operations.’
Dr Johns said it was a credit to OPTALERT’s innovative and progressive work in fatigue risk management and measurement that two scientists from the same business should be presenting at the conference.
“This is the pre-eminent conference in our field of work in the world, and presents a fantastic opportunity to showcase the cutting edge work we have been doing at OPTALERT for several years,” Dr Johns said.
“As we continue to make in-roads into the road transport industry around the world with OPTALERT’s alertness and fatigue risk profiling technology, and with our continued integration into the operations of some of the world’s leading mining companies, this represents another feather in our cap for the research team,” he said.
Dr Johns is a world authority on sleep medicine and has pioneered research in the field for more than 40 years. He developed the Epworth Sleepiness Scale which is now a world standard method for measuring a person’s general level of sleepiness in daily life.
He adds that while the OPTALERT scientific research team has been working across this field for many years, there is an increasing amount of independent scientific validation of the technology that continues to build momentum for its relevance and importance in both the mining and road transport industries.
Dr Johns and Dr Tucker will be in esteemed company at the conference, which sees speakers and delegates gather from around the world including industry leaders in fatigue management from the military, academic, road transport, mining and medical spheres.
According to Dr Tucker, one of the most rewarding parts about having the opportunity to present at the 2011 fatigue conference is the knowledge transfer and sharing that takes place among professionals who are working towards an important common goal – reducing the harm and error that can result from fatigue.
“We know that the work we are all doing is making a difference, and we’re confident that the technology that’s been developed and continues to be refined at OPTALERT has applications that relate to every industry that will be present at this conference,” he said.
“Our customers come from across industry and are serious about Workplace Health & Safety and are committed to a policy of ‘Zero Harm’.”
The 8th International Conference on Managing Fatigue in Transportation, Resources and Health will be held in Fremantle, Western Australia on 21-24 March, 2011.
Results of OPTALERT research and scientific validation has been widely published by both the OPTALERT research team and leading research institutions from around the world including:
- Division of Sleep Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, USA.
- Monash University Accident Research Centre, Australia.
- Royal Australian Air Force Institute of Aviation Medicine.