Goods & Passenger Transport

Companies working in 24-hour industries face a number of challenges related to the health and welfare of their staff. The risk of a fatigue-related incident is most commonly attributed to a driver’s levels of drowsiness, but there are other factors, too. Shift workers particularly are prone to sleep disorders and other lifestyle and medical challenges that may harm their ability to always perform at their peak. The most common question we hear from industry is “how do we know if we have a problem and how large that problem may [...]

  MEDIA RELEASE   The CEO of Australian technology company Optalert has revealed recent data pointed to a shocking 30 percent of professional drivers at risk of falling asleep each time they get behind the wheel.   Optalert CEO Scott Coles has implored Australian goods and passenger transport companies to wake up to the risk or face yet another needless road accident caused by drowsy driving. “A transport company approached us earlier in the year because they had drivers operating at all times of the day and they were particularly [...]

The words “drowsiness” and “fatigue” are usually used interchangeably, but they differ significantly. While fatigue can refer to a feeling of tiredness or exhaustion due to illness or physical activity, drowsiness refers specifically to the state right before sleep. For ease of understanding, we sometimes use these words interchangeably to describe sleepiness or difficulty staying awake during crucial moments. However, there is a difference between the two terms and they shouldn’t be confused. We take a closer look at the distinction… What is fatigue? Fatigue is generally normal when it [...]

Due to its 24-hour nature, fatigue is a major risk in the rail industry. The risk is recognised and as a result, many rail companies around the world are obligated to create and implement a fatigue management program to protect staff, passengers and the communities in which they travel. Whether it’s a passenger train carrying patrons between stops along a line or a commercial rail transporting freight across the country, the role of fatigue has unfortunately made its mark on the following rail accidents. Spuyten Duyvil derailment   1st December [...]

Dear CEO I’m writing to highlight the real dangers of drowsiness potentially placing our company and my colleagues at risk. By the very nature of our 24-hour business, we are exposed to pressures caused by working at times against our bodies’ natural circadian rhythm. Our bodies want us to be sleeping, but we are scheduled to work. This biological need combined with commuting times to and from site, places our shift workers at risk of a drowsy-driving incident, even if we begin our shifts well rested. Because of these inherent [...]

Ask any shift worker about a typical shift and they will tell you the same thing: no two shifts are ever alike. Shift workers often enjoy the variety provided to them and the changing landscape. They might also tell you that it can be challenging and exhausting, but at the same time incredibly rewarding. Shift work Shift work can be split into two or three separate shifts that, when combined, make up the 24 hours in a day. In some cases where there are three longer shifts, some hours will [...]

As we take a look back at the evolution of road safety, it’s interesting to see how much has changed; most of which has occurred just within the last 200 years. From the horse-drawn carriage to sensors, cameras, and Bluetooth technology, a lot has happened in the road safety sphere over the past few decades and I can’t wait to see what happens in the future. Horse and carriage accidents While the term “road safety” instantly conjures up images of today’s modern cars, road accidents were occurring even before the [...]

Did you know human error, according to the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), accounts for the majority of rail accidents? Of these accidents, the NTSB estimates up to half are due to fatigue. Types of rail What are rail companies transporting? To help find out that answer, we can segment the rail industry into two main categories: commercial rail and passenger rail. Commercial rail Commercial rail services transport a variety of goods and cargo cross-country. Freight trains, container trains, and bulk trains all move commercial goods from one point [...]

MEDIA RELEASE Sponsorship places drowsy detection company on world racing stage Australian technology company Optalert has announced a sponsorship with Professional Formula 3 racing driver Dylan Young. Optalert CEO Scott Coles said the sponsorship would be effective for the term of the 2016-17 MRF Challenge Formula 2000 Championship and provided an excellent opportunity to show off Optalert’s technology in the professional racing arena. “Optalert is the world’s leading provider of early-warning drowsiness detection products and has recently opened up opportunities for licensing in the automotive industry,” Mr Coles said. “This [...]

MEDIA RELEASE Optalert and GE Mining to join forces to help improve mine safety Optalert, a leading drowsiness detection provider has agreed with GE Mining, a leading global mining solutions provider, to work together on the integration of Optalert’s early-warning drowsiness detection technology with GE Mining’s Collision Avoidance System. Collision Avoidance Systems (CAS) protect miners above and underground by providing 360˚ proximity protection for vehicles, equipment and personnel. By integrating Optalert’s algorithm into the CAS, this would expand those parameters to include driver performance, improving the safety paradigm for heavy [...]