Graham Lowe to speak at NZ forestry gatheringFriday 4 Apr 2014
In a recent article we highlighted how some GPS monitoring vests used by professional athletes are being remodelled and used by forestry workers. Lowe, a long time sufferer of sleep apnoea was once told he got just eight minutes of real sleep a night. He now blames the condition for his horrendous health history of strokes, heart attacks and brain aneurisms. The champion coach says that's what motivated him to launch a pilot study using these GPS units to try to cut forestry deaths by sounding an alert when workers are tired. Fatigue has been blamed as a major contributing factor for the industry's poor safety record. With business partner Rachel Lehen, Lowe has formed a company, Lowie Fatigue Management. The GPS monitoring vests measure core temperature, heart rate, respiration, hydration, perspiration, whether workers are standing or sitting and their GPS position. Researchers will be studying data to measure whether workers are dangerously tired. Staff employed for HarvestPro, one of New Zealand's largest logging sub-contractors, will trial the vests in a new study. The GPS technology has been used by sports teams, the military, fire fighters and to monitor the health of the 29 Chilean mineworkers trapped underground for 69 days in 2010, but this adaptation is new. Graham at the dinner meeting will be outlining the technology – how it has been employed outside the forestry industry and results from the recent in-forest trials. If wanting to register or save a place at the dinner, best register now on www.woodflowlogistics.com | ||
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