On the expo floor at ASSE’s Safety 2017, Caterpillar displayed one of the latest tools in the battle against unsafe fatigue on the job. In-cab monitoring is a way to keep operators alert and safe.

CAT’s Driver Safety System is a non-intrusive, in-cab fatigue detection technology that immediately alerts operators as soon as fatigue or distraction is identified.

How does it work? Fatigue detection technology monitors eye-closure duration and head pose. If the system detects a fatigue or distraction event, the operator is immediately alerted through configurable in-vehicle seat vibration and / or audio alarm.

In addition, any fatigue or distraction event detected by the driver fatigue monitoring system is relayed to a 24-hour monitoring center to classify and confirm the event. Caterpillar experts analyze the data and provide customized reporting with site-level recommendations. By cross-referencing fatigue and distraction events against available equipment data, suggestions to improve operational efficiency are provided.

An educational session at Safety 2017 was titled, “Opening Our Eyes to Fatigue in the Workplace.” Susan Sawatzky of In-Scope Solutions discussed how strategic approaches require moving past regulatory requirements (truckers’ hours of service limitations) to have both management and workers share risk management responsibilities. Her approach integrates organizational strategies and worker engagement to improve an organization's ability to successfully mitigate fatigue risks.