BLINKEDin by OPTALERT, Dec 2010-Feb 2011

www.optalert.com

Dec 2010 - Feb 2011: Global Real-Time Alertness Monitoring Wake-up Call Safety Excellence Rewarded Chile World #1 for Driver Alertness Latin America Vision Statement Launched ALLRig Transport Traction Newcastle Truck Dealer Takes Safety Lead In the Press Northern Exposure GPS Not the Answer to Fatigue Management Eyes on the Prize A Healthy Start for Indigenous Infants International Year of Biodiversity

BLINKEDin OPTALERT’s newsletter for alert professionals

2 BLINKEDin by OPTALERT

Global Real-Time Alertness Monitoring

Main pic: The OPTALERT-Fatigue Risk Profiler is changing the way companies measure, manage and monitor driver alertness. Front cover: Illustration by Brian Coldrick on permanent display at OPTALERT’s Melbourne Office and Monster Truck Gallery in Ireland (www.monstertruck.ie). Pic insert: After 5 minutes, the OPTALERT Dashboard Indicator dims to black and enters safe mode. Touching the OPTALERT logo reactivates the Indicator. We see users of OPTALERT checking their level of alertness on average once every 25 minutes by touching the Dashboard Indicator. This activity is creating a safer driver and their behaviour is being influenced by the use of OPTALERT.

Screen images shown may vary from actual product.

The launch of the online Fatigue Risk Profiler by OPTALERT will empower management of mine sites around the world to more effectively manage the safety, productivity and wellbeing of their driving workforce Billed as the next step in the evolution of fatigue management technology - in the blink of an eye - the OPTALERT-Fatigue Risk Profiler makes visible via the internet the current state of alertness and fatigue risk profile of one or many drivers anywhere in the world. The technology means those responsible for the safety of others will now be able to effectively share the burden of responsibility with their operators when it comes to behaviour based safety. The easy to understand Graphic User Interface (GUI) enables managers and fleet dispatchers to remotely monitor driver alertness, instantly identifying, tracking and quickly accessing vital information about one or more drivers as soon as any driver triggers a medium or high risk drowsiness alarm. OPTALERT Chief Executive Officer, John Prendergast says the technology will go further towards promoting heightened levels of awareness and resultant safety among drivers, saving lives and improving productivity across the board. Prendergast says OPTALERT’s offering is based on the notion that an alert driver is a safe and efficient driver.

www.optalert.com 3

“ [OPTALERT’s Fatigue Risk

Profiler] is based on the notion that an

alert driver is a safe and efficient driver.

We are all much safer and more

efficient when we’re alert. We become

less safe and less efficient as we get drowsy “

“We are all much safer and more efficient when we’re alert. We become less safe and less efficient as we get drowsy,” he says. “The mining industry is leading the world in supporting their drivers through the use of this technology.” He says that by monitoring drivers’ alertness levels and feeding back that information to them while they’re driving, those drivers are then empowered to take preventative steps when it comes to managing their drowsiness. “What the online Fatigue Risk Profiler will essentially do, is ‘share the load’ with people elsewhere, who are equally responsible for the safety and productivity of that workplace,” Prendergast says. “Having more people shoulder the burden of responsibility for behaviour based safety can only be a positive next step.” He adds that while the mining industry has been at the forefront of the adoption of the OPTALERT technology to date, the implications for road transport, among other industries, represent enormous additional opportunities for managing behaviour based safety. Other technologies which claim to address fatigue management issues, he says, are based on inferior processes of detection rather than prevention, including knowledge based drowsiness predictions and “steering sensory”, or lane deviation detection systems. “The difference with OPTALERT is that the technology actually allows the driver to modify their behaviour well before they have noticed the drowsiness themselves,” Prendergast says. “It is the only real-time safety system in the world that detects the early onset of drowsiness during a journey by accurately measuring a person's level of alertness.” O


“A new Australian fatigue-alert technology can save lives on the road by keeping a watchful eye on our eyes,” writes Deborah Tarrant for Qantas In the November 2010 issue of the Qantas inflight magazine, Deborah interviews OPTALERT Chief Executive Officer, John Prendergast. The following article is reprinted from pages 166 and 167 of “Qantas The Australian Way”: Blink! Are your eyelids feeling heavy? Is it perhaps time for a snooze? It’s the speed with which you open - not close - your eyes that indicates just how drowsy you are. Based on this finding, Melbourne-based company OPTALERT is leading the world with a new technology that can measure a driver’s eye 500 times per second and send a warning signal when lids start lagging. Installed in a pair of driving glasses, this technology is keeping roads and mines safer by alerting those at risk of dozing off while at the wheel or operating heavy machinery. Most of us can afford a momentary lapse of focus at work, suggests OPTALERT CEO John Prendergast. We tune in and out of conversations. There are times of day when we’re more attentive than others. But the driver of a road train and others behind the wheel on the job must unerringly have their eyes wide open.

“ A quantitative measure of fatigue risk hasn’t existed

before ”

Wake-up Call

www.optalert.com 5

Fatigue is believed to be a factor in 35 per cent of fatal road crashes. Researchers suggest that 65 per cent of truck-haulage accidents at mine sites are directly related to operator fatigue. The problem has long been on the mind of Dr Murray Johns, a sleep specialist who was consulted often by truckers whose lives were at risk due to drowsiness. In 1990, Johns - then at Melbourne’s Epworth Hospital - created the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, which uses a questionnaire to calculate daytime sleepiness levels. He went on to develop a device to measure alertness. This provided the basis of the technology at OPTALERT where Johns in now the Chief Scientist. Formed in 2004, the company issued its first commercial product in 2007. That’s when Prendergast, now 39 - who has his own first-hand trucking experience - took on the job of steering OPTALERT. In 1990, Prendergast sold the trucking company his grandfather started in Wexford, Ireland, and went to work in supply-chain management for companies including Tesco in the UK and Coles Myer in Australia, before eventually accepting the challenge of taking a small technology start-up into global markets. Early adopters such as miner BHP Billiton - which uses OPTALERT technology to monitor safety and profile risk at three ventures in Chile - and trucking giant BIS Industrial, were no slouches at providing feedback. In 2008, high-profile investment banks Macquarie Group and UBS also jumped at the opportunity to back the company. The upshot is that “the product we’re selling today is fundamentally different from what we were selling in 2007,” admits the CEO. OPTALERT technology now measures the eye in seven different ways, the predominant one being the velocity of the lid. “We close our eyes at the same speed, but open them at different speeds, depending on how tired we are.” Software then converts the measures into a score that appears on a device fitted to a dashboard or comes up in a control room. It tells drivers or supervisors when they’re in dangerous territory. At five on the OPTALERT scale, a drowsy driver has a level of impairment similar to someone with a blood alcohol reading of .05. “A quantitative measure of fatigue risk hasn’t existed before,” says Prendergast. There’s no time frame for the onset of drowsiness. Much depends on the condition of the worker when he or she starts work. “Some people can get through an entire day without showing signs of fatigue, while others show significant risk profiles within 15 minutes of starting a shift,” says Prendergast. The inclination to nod off increases after a relaxing long weekend or holiday, or if there’s a major change in the weather, he adds. Last year’s heatwaves in Melbourne and Adelaide produced high alerts. There’s also a high risk when rosters are changed, particularly if people switch from days to nights, or afternoons to mornings. Prendergast describes OPTALERT customers as predominantly people-centric companies that focus on safety policies and processes. Although the market is expanding to include not only those who drive for a living, but engineers and others who cover long distances for work.

(Continued on page 6)

Qantas The Australian Way is the award-winning inflight magazine of Qantas, the world’s leading long distance airline and one of the strongest brands in Australia. OPTALERT is proud to feature in the special November 2010 issue of their magazine that also celebrates Qantas’ 90th anniversary (pic above). Be sure to fly Qantas the next time you travel and read the rest of their inflight magazine. It's filled with dining, shopping and destination tips to inspire your travel in Australia and around the world. It also features the latest onboard entertainment information, as well as airport maps and other useful information to help you once you arrive at your destination. You can also read it online now at www.qantas.com.au in the Fly/Onboard/Inflight Magazine section of their website. Source: Qantas 2010, Wake-up call, Qantas The Australian Way, pp. 1 & 166-167, Nov. www.qantas.com.au. Photos by James Braund. www.jamesbraund.com.


The next step for OPTALERT is pre-empting the journey. The company will soon introduce a product that measures whether or not people are fit to start work. “We tend to assume that people are fit for work at the start of a shift,” he says. “But that’s not always true. We all have lives. I have three young kids who draw on my time in the evenings and that can affect how I turn up for work the next day. That consideration is particularly important if your job is one that requires your being constantly alert.” Now with 25 employees in Melbourne, OPTALERT is on the move. This year it made a soft landing in the North American market (Canada and South America), with plans for the US and the Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg) nations. “Our product is geographically unrestricted. Selling it into Latin America, the only thing we’ve had to change is the language the driver receives in the cab.” Curiously, the major battle is convincing people of the financial, human and emotional cost of fatigue-related workplace accidents. “A lot of companies spend money on education, training and even workers’ diets, with the intention of making their workforces more efficient and safe. But they have no understanding of whether their workers are actually more alert on the job,” says Prendergast. Asking workers to wear a high-tech pair of glasses is raising general awareness of safety, they say. There’s a ripple effect. Overall safety statistics at mining sites and in trucking companies have improved, reports Prendergast. “As with any new technology, they’re starting out small,” but once they see the eye-opening results, “they roll it out across the whole fleet”. O

(Continued from page 5)

OPTALERT Chief Executive Officer, John Prendergast, is Australia’s foremost thought leader on the topic of Behaviour Based Safety (BBS) for companies wishing to reduce their Risk Profile and achieve Chain of Responsibility and Fatigue Management goals. Pic above: Qantas 2010, Wake-up call, Qantas The Australian Way, pp. 1 & 166-167, Nov. www.qantas.com.au. Photos by James Braund. www.jamesbraund.com.

Screen images shown may vary from actual product.

“ OPTALERT as a business exists

because we believe the man is different

to the machine.

We believe if you look after the man

he will look after the machine for you “

www.optalert.com 7

Awards from Australian Mining and InterSystems both recognise OPTALERT Alertness Monitoring technology InterSystems Corporation, a US based global provider of advanced database, integration and business intelligence technologies, announced that OPTALERT has been recognised with the inaugural InterSystems Award for Breakthrough Applications for its online Fatigue Risk Profiler (pictured left). The international award program honours developers who create game-changing software applications using InterSystems’ advanced technologies. “We’re honoured to be the first recipient of the InterSystems Award for Breakthrough Applications,” said OPTALERT Chief Executive Officer, John Prendergast. “Journey management and control is becoming the norm amongst business leaders and they are turning to OPTALERT to enable them to quantify their Fatigue Risk Profile.” OPTALERT also took tops honours in the Australian Mining Prospect Awards for Excellence in Mine Occupational Health & Safety (OH&S). “When it comes to monitoring driver alertness, OPTALERT as a business exists because we believe the man is different to the machine. We believe if you look after the man he will look after the machine for you. That’s not necessarily a belief embraced by everybody. But it is very much embraced by our customers in the mining industry who are true leaders in safety using OPTALERT Alertness Monitoring technology,” said Prendergast in accepting the prestigious mining award. O

Safety Excellence Rewarded

OPTALERT was also a finalist in the inaugural National Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) Awards in November. For more information about this and other OPTALERT awards, please visit www.optalert.com/awards.


Chilean mining has been in the world spotlight in recent times following the miraculous rescue of 33 miners trapped underground for a record 69 days But despite recent events at the San Jose mine in Chile seeing it labelled third world by some, and Chilean President Sebastian Piñera vowing to bring mine safety in Chile up to developed world standards, those assessments are far from fair when considering Chile’s forward thinking approach to mine site driver fatigue. That’s the opinion of OPTALERT Vice President of International Business Development – and native Chilean – Rodrigo Alvear. Alvear points out that Chile is in fact leading the world in managing mine site driver fatigue using OPTALERT’s cutting edge alertness monitoring technology. “Chile was actually one of the first countries outside of Australia to reap the safety benefits of the technology, first at Minera Escondida and soon after the BHP Billiton mine in Spence,” he says. Alvear, who spent considerable time at BHP Billiton’s Spence mine personally overseeing the successful implementation of OPTALERT equipment, says feedback from the drivers was overwhelmingly positive.

Chile World #1 for Driver Alertness

“ [OPTALERT] has been elevated to the

status of Personal Protective

Equipment (PPE) for all haul truck drivers

[at BHP Billiton Spence] “

www.optalert.com 9

“Many drivers were interested to learn that even when they felt wide awake, the OPTALERT system showed that sometimes they were not as alert as they should be,” he says. “Spence have chosen OPTALERT as their safety technology partner where alertness monitoring has been elevated to the status of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for all haul truck drivers – that’s a ringing endorsement for this technology and the difference it can make,” Alvear says. He adds that management at Spence is also planning to expand the implementation of OPTALERT beyond giant haul trucks to include buses that ferry workers between the mine site and nearby cities of Antofagasta, Calama and La Serena, further reinforcing its focus on mine site safety and the wellbeing of its workers. OPTALERT reached a global supply agreement with BHP Billiton in 2008 after a two year study identified OPTALERT as the leading solution for BHP Billiton to help detect operator fatigue.* OPTALERT Chief Executive Officer, John Prendergast congratulated the Chilean mining industry for leading the world when it comes to reducing the financial, human and emotional cost of fatigue related accidents. “There is a genuine understanding among these mines of the incredible impact this technology can have on mine site safety – OPTALERT is the only Behaviour Based Safety system in the world that empowers drivers and the companies they work for with the tools they need to prevent driver fatigue,” he said. “The use of the OPTALERT technology demonstrates that the management is dedicated to the safety of their people. As a result Minera Escondida and BHP Billiton Spence are two of the safest places in the world to drive a haul truck.” O

Main pic: Giant Caterpillar haul trucks “share” the road en route to the BHP Billiton Spence mine site in Chile. Pic insert: An even bigger excavator dwarfs the already giant haul truck being loaded at BHP Billiton Spence. * BHP Billiton concluded in 2007 after a two year study into fatigue technologies that “OPTALERT has been identified as the leading technological solution for BHP Billiton to help detect operator drowsiness/fatigue.” Source: BHP Billiton 2008, Sustainability Report, p. 65.


Latin America Vision Statement Launched

OPTALERT Chief Executive Officer, John Prendergast, was invited by the Department of Innovation, Industry and Regional Development (DIIRD) to speak at the official launch of the Latin America Vision Statement by the State Government of Victoria Jacinta Allen MP, the Minister for Industry and Trade, officially launched the “Latin America and Victoria: a vision for growing trade, investment and cultural links” which articulates a clear vision for Victoria’s trade and investment relationship with the countries of Latin America, and raises awareness of key areas of mutual opportunity. OPTALERT was recognised by the Victorian Government as an excellent example of a high technology business based in Victoria that was achieving commercial success in Latin America. John Prendergast concluded speeches delivered by Jacinta Allen MP, Telmo Languiller MP (pic above second from left) and the Chairman of the Australia-Latin America Business Council (ALABC), José Blanco during the special launch event. “As a company that was ‘born global’, OPTALERT is blessed to have the customers we have in Latin America with a particular focus in Chile. These men are true leaders in safety who run the mining sector there. Safety in the mining sector in Chile has been obviously in the media

“ Any of us can leave this room here

today and buy technology that can put sensors on the machine; that can

manage the machine for you.

We as a business exist because we

believe the man is different.

We believe if you

look after the man he will look after the

machine for you “

www.optalert.com 11

recently. But our experience does not necessarily match the news coverage about safety of mine sites in Chile. These men [in Chile] are outstanding,” commented John during his speech. “The biggest difference we’ve seen in our customers in Chile specifically is the belief that the man is different from the machine. Any of us can leave this room here today and buy technology that can put sensors on the machine; that can manage the machine for you. We as a business exist because we believe the man is different. We believe if you look after the man he will look after the machine for you. That’s not necessarily a belief embraced by everybody. [But it is] very much embraced by the leaders in safety in the mine sites of Latin America,” concluded John. Coinciding with the launch of the Victorian Government’s Latin America Vision Statement, John Prendergast also launched the new OPTALERT Spanish language brochure and website at www.optalert.cl. OPTALERT hopes Spanish language materials such as these will form the foundation upon which new understanding and communications begin that enable OPTALERT to better support the fatigue monitoring safety needs of our Latin American customers. For more information about the Victorian Government’s Latin America Vision Statement please visit www.diird.vic.gov.au. O

“Latin America and Victoria: a vision for growing trade, investment and cultural link” launched by Jacinta Allen MP (pic above with John Prendergast and Dr Murray Johns) provides a clear direction for Victoria to strengthen trade and investment links with Latin America, build exports and create jobs. Two-way trade between Victoria and Latin America has already increased by 66% over the 5 years to Dec 2009 (valued at $1.6 billion per annum). However, with a population of 574 million people and a combined GDP of $6 trillion, the 20 countries that make up Latin America offer vast potential for Victorian businesses. Main pic (L to R): Telmo Languiller MP stands (2nd from left) with the OPTLAERT team (L to R) Maria Fernanda Ortega, Rodrigo Alvear and Lisa Du. Source: www.diird.vic.gov.au


As Australia’s largest distributor of truck and trailer parts, PACCAR Parts (operating under the brand name ALLRig in Australia) completed the Seed Program to demonstrate OPTALERT technology among road transport companies across Australia PACCAR Parts Regional Sales Manager, Trevor Dickson has been with the company for nearly thirty years. Trevor and his colleagues championed the Seed Program increasing the awareness of OPTALERT’s safety focused technology – a process he firmly believes has the capacity to fundamentally alter the safety landscape of the road transport industry. “OPTALERT was chosen by PACCAR because it is an innovative system that can accurately – and in real time – advise the driver when they are approaching dangerous levels of drowsiness,” says Dickson. “While there are other products on offer in the marketplace claiming to perform the same function, these products work only in a reactive way. In other words, you have to already be in danger for them to provide an alert. This is a very significant difference which simply makes OPTALERT a clear choice in the prevention of drowsiness.”

ALLRig Transport Traction

Main pic: Through an extensive ALLRig Parts dealer network, PACCAR Parts is a market leader in Australia for quality truck and trailer parts for all makes and models. ALLRig is the brand name for PACCAR Parts, which is a division of PACCAR Australia Pty Ltd. PACCAR Australia is the manufacturer of Kenworth, the market leader in heavy duty trucks in Australia with vehicles designed and manufactured locally to meet some of the world’s toughest applications. Source: www.paccar.com.au

www.optalert.com 13

“ Right now, every truck driver in

Australia can buy OPTALERT today

through any ALLRig dealer “

“Our customers are continually aiming to improve the conditions for their drivers as well as the safety record of their organisation,” says Dickson, who believes the Seed Program is essentially making it easy for road transport companies of all sizes to integrate OPTALERT’s Fatigue Management technology into their businesses. OPTALERT Chief Executive Officer, John Prendergast worked closely with PACCAR Parts, to develop new ‘Road Transport Industry-friendly’ configurations and applications for the product and make it suitable for any fleet size, right down to single truck operators. “Despite OPTALERT being readily embraced by the mining industry, I think it’s actually better suited to road transport where the impact of a crash, no matter how small, can be much greater,” Dickson says. Prendergast agrees, emphasising that it is not just the long haul drivers that are positively impacted, but the entire community. “Our customers are absolutely leaders in safety,” says Prendergast. “The road transport industry is unique in that their workplace is the public highway. We all use this highway and our families use this highway. Ensuring a driver is alert at all times whilst driving makes it a far safer place to be for everyone,” concluded Prendergast. “In its simplest configuration, OPTALERT empowers our customers with a Dashboard Indicator informing the driver about their current level of alertness and associated fatigue risk profile,” said Dickson. Taken a step further, fleet operators that also choose to implement OPTALERT’s new Fatigue Risk Profiler technology effectively share what the driver hears, sees and feels inside the truck with someone else in a control room or dispatch centre - reducing further the risk profile of not only the OPTALERT equipped driver but the whole business as well. Dickson sees a bright future for OPTALERT in the road transport industry, “Right now, every truck driver in Australia can buy OPTALERT today through any ALLRig dealer.” “From a strategy point-of-view, PACCAR Parts is constantly looking out for products that will provide a genuine enhancement to our customers’ experience,” he says. “Our aim is always to be a comprehensive partner to the road transport industry, and in terms of safety this product means we are offering our customers the very best when it comes to fatigue management.” O


As OPTALERT continues to engage the road transport industry through the Seed Program, it’s truck dealerships like Gilbert & Roach that are on the front line Operating since 1946, Gilbert & Roach is one of Australia’s leading Heavy Truck Dealers, with their Newcastle dealership opening its doors in 1981 and going on to become the largest dealer in the region. It’s little wonder, then, that the dealership has proven such a valuable asset in the recent roll out of the Seed Program, an initiative aimed at encouraging a greater awareness and understanding of the OPTALERT technology and its important applications at the front line of the road transport industry. PACCAR Parts Regional Sales Manager, Trevor Dickson regularly visits the Newcastle dealership, and has seen first hand the positive and trusted relationship they have built over many years with a loyal and local customer base. He says that relationship has enabled OPTALERT’s world-leading alert monitoring and fatigue risk management technology to generate real interests among customers. “The team at Gilbert & Roach in Newcastle have always shown a keenness to embrace new technology and their approach to OPTALERT is no different,” Dickson says. “Scott Medhurst and his team are well

Newcastle Truck Dealer Takes Safety Lead

“ Fully accredited to install OPTALERT

vehicle systems and fitment of OPTALERT Driver Glasses, the

Gilbert & Roach Newcastle team, along with other

ALLRig dealers, are able to provide full on site installation

and support “

www.optalert.com 15

Main pic: Based on a 3.77 hectare (9.32 acre) site, Gilbert & Roach is the largest Truck Dealer in Newcastle and the Hunter region. Gilbert & Roach 320 Pacific Highway Hexham NSW 2322 + 61 (0)2 4964 8641 www.grnewcastle.com.au Pic above: Gordon Martin Bulk Haulage are bulk haulage carriers; carting any form of bulk product, predominately operating in the Eastern states of Australia. Gordon Martin Bulk Haulage 4 Hayes Street Scone NSW 2337 +61 (0)2 6545 3939 www.martinshaulage.com.au

d

regarded by customers in the area, who look to them for advice to assist their business.” Dickson says that while OPTALERT, in its current form, has only been available through ALLRig dealers since February, Medhurst and his team have been among the most enthusiastic of dealers when it comes to talking with customers about the benefits of the OPTALERT technology. “Despite that, Scott has generated a great deal of interest in a short time.” adds Dickson. Now fully accredited to install OPTALERT Vehicle Systems and Driver Glasses, the Gilbert & Roach Newcastle team, along with other ALLRig dealers, are able to provide full on site installation and support, something Scott Medhurst says is an important next step in being able to emphatically represent the technology to clients. “We’re now in a position to go out and offer the whole package,” he says. “We can now supply and fit the technology into a new model, or we can retro-fit it. Our capacity for off-site electrical means we can also install on site at the customer’s premises. That really puts us in the box seat, and the response has been very good.” Indicative of that response has been major bulk haulage carriers, Gordon Martin Bulk Haulage based in the Hunter Valley.



A forward thinking company with a strong safety focus, the company is a bulk haulage carrier; carting any form of bulk product, predominately operating in the Eastern states of Australia. “They’ve had a PACCAR seed program unit for about a month now, and the drivers are really happy with it,” Medhurst says. “I’m hopeful that in the near future, they will look at installing OPTALERT in all of their trucks.” A part of the Martin Group, Gordon Martin Bulk Haulage pride themselves on a fleet which is made up of the latest technology and latest design in tipping trailers. Consisting of truck and dogs, 19 metre B-Doubles, 25 metre B-Doubles and road trains. Resource Manager, Bob Richardson is a well respected figure in the industry, sitting on a number of committees, and has been involved in road transport for more than 30 years – 23 of them with Martin’s. Richardson says the company is always looking outside the square to see what technologies are available that can help them to look after their drivers and their equipment. He says OPTALERT technology really lines up with the company’s values. “There’s no question that the ability to understand and work to your level of alertness can only be a good thing in our industry,” he says. “We’ve trialled a lot of different things over 50 years, and we want to make it safer for our guys and for all road users. If the OPTALERT technology works, then we are all for it.” Richardson believes the system also offers benefits in terms of training drivers to better understand their bodies. “It’s really good that there are technologies like OPTALERT out there,” he says. “They help us manage individuals and their level of fatigue, but they also enable the driver to understand where their risk lies and to mitigate that more effectively.” Scott Medhurst agrees, saying once you’ve got the owner or the fleet manager on board, the next step is to get the drivers to embrace it. “Once we’ve sat the drivers down and taken them through a full presentation to help them understand the technology and the studies behind it, they really understand the value that it offers to them and their safety,” he says. “Once they get their head around it and understand it’s for their safety and wellbeing, it becomes a very attractive product.” It’s that, he says, that will hold OPTALERT in very good stead as the technology continues to forge ahead increasing safety across the road transport industry. O


“ We’ve trialled a lot of different

things over 50 years, and we want to

make it safer for our guys and for all

road users.

If the OPTALERT technology works,

then we are all for it ”

www.optalert.com 17

In the Press

OPTALERT continues to attract the attention of print and electronic media right across Australia and the world Read these articles and more in the News & Events section at www.optalert.com: “Mining’s night of nights”, Australian Mining, 12 Nov. “Strong entries, big winners at the first ITS Australia National

Awards”, Transport & Logistics News, 12 Nov. “OPTALERT announces Chile is world number 1 for mining driver

alertness”, various international media outlets including Mining.com, India Times and Biz News Mexico, Nov.

“OPTALERT honoured with award for breakthrough application”, various domestic and international media outlets including Yahoo! Finance and Pulse+IT, Nov.

“Wake-up call”, Qantas The Australian Way, Nov. “GPS not the answer to fatigue management”, Truckin’ Life, Nov. “GPS a false economy in truck-driver fatigue management”,

Safety Solutions, 25 Oct. “GPS for fatigue is dangerously misguided”,

Australian Transport News and Supply Chain Review, 5 Oct. “GPS as a fatigue management tool questioned”,

Transport & Logistics News, 5 Oct. “Scientist at work on driver fatigue”, Hume Weekly, 21 Sep. “Staying safer with OPTALERT”, PowerTorque, Aug. O

Main pic: Qantas 2010, Wake-up call, Qantas The Australian Way, pp. 166-167, 1 Nov. Source: www.qantas.com.au. Photos by James Braund. www.jamesbraund.com

BLINKEDin is a newsletter published by OPTALERT Pty Ltd ABN 20 100 362 883. Subscription is free and available directly from OPTALERT. OPTALERT Level 3, Building 5, 658 Church Street Richmond VIC 3121 Melbourne Australia +61 (0)3 9425 5000 [email protected] www.optalert.com ©2010 OPTALERT Pty Ltd. Important Notice: The information contained in this newsletter is given in good faith. To the maximum extent permitted by law, neither OPTALERT, its employees or contractors accept any liability for loss or damage arising as a result of any person acting on information contained in this newsletter. This newsletter should not be used or relied on as a substitute for detailed professional consultation with OPTALERT.


Northern Exposure

“ The magic here is not in the glasses or the technology, it’s in the measuring.

The [OPTALERT

Drowsiness Score] is the heart and soul of this innovation...

If you can measure it, you can manage

it - the risk associated with

drowsiness “

www.optalert.com 19

OPTALERT is making strong inroads into the Canadian market, with regional distribution partner, Integrated Risk Management reporting an enthusiastic response to the opportunities presented by the technology Appointed six months ago as the Canadian distributor, Integrated Risk Management is a company that specialises in offering a suite of safety management services integrated as business solutions. The company’s President, Rich Robillard (right) says the response to the new technology has been overwhelmingly positive, with an enormous interest in the opportunity presented by OPTALERT for preventative risk management. This was reinforced at the recent 2010 Professional Development Conference, held by the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering (CSSE) in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where OPTALERT took out the Most Innovative Technology Award. The premier conference for Canada’s health, safety and environment practitioners, this annual event brings together 700 – 800 delegates for ‘top-notch’ OHS&E programming, professional development and peer networking opportunities. Robillard says the conference provided a prime opportunity for the OPTALERT technology to be showcased to an array of interested parties and new adopters across key industries. Integrated Risk Management demonstrated the OPTALERT technology with a tailored approach aimed at emphasising what they view as a key selling point in that Canadian market – the way in which the technology has enabled alertness to be measured. “We’ve found that with these audiences, a crucial part of the unique value proposition lies in the measurability – the ability to measure alertness via the OPTALERT Drowsiness Score, otherwise known as the Johns Drowsiness Scale,” Robillard says. The Johns Drowsiness Scale, or JDS was developed by OPTALERT founder and now Chief Scientist, Dr Murray Johns. The culmination of more than 15 years of research into the physiology of drowsiness, the JDS is the world’s first scientifically validated scale of drowsiness in active people. “For us, the magic here is not in the glasses or the technology, it’s in the measuring. The JDS is the heart and soul of this innovation,” he says. “If you can measure it, you can manage it - the risk associated with drowsiness.” Robillard says the CSSE conference, which bears the tag line “Collaboration, Collective Wisdom”, provided an excellent platform for delivering knowledge and understanding to a broad cross section of industry professionals in that market.


Integrated Risk Management is a team of OH&S professionals based out of Calgary, Canada, offering a specialised suite of safety management services integrated as business solutions. By employing experienced professionals, they are able to focus on its core competencies, primarily the mitigation of safety hazards and business risks associated with worker "Fitness for Duty" including drugs and alcohol in the workplace, fatigue management and other safety services. Integrated also partners with industry experts in specialised OH&S competencies such as OPTALERT, enabling them to provide integrated solutions without compromising quality when clients require a wider spectrum of solutions. Source: www.integratesafety.com


That, he says, has been the focus of Integrated Risk Management’s efforts over the last six months, with a huge amount of personal selling of the technology to clients. “It’s really been a six month long awareness launch,” he says, adding that the relatively low levels of awareness initially were due to OPTALERT’s deliberate strategy of maintaining a small digital footprint prior to going fully to market with the technology. For many of the businesses in Canada, Robillard says, that meant coming from a standing start in terms of getting up to speed on this new technology and the opportunities it provides for fatigue risk management. “One of the things we found early on was that many of the very progressive, companies in terms of risk management hadn’t yet heard of the technology,” Robillard says. “Once we had an opportunity to demonstrate it to them though, they were absolutely blown away.” Robillard says those companies immediately recognised the value of the OPTALERT system in mitigating business liability. “What they understood was that this isn’t just about safety management, it’s about business risk, liability and – ultimately – shareholder value.” One of those companies, Schlumberger, is now in the second stage of testing the OPTALERT technology. Boasting a world-renowned ‘journey management standard’, Schlumberger is the world's leading supplier of technology, integrated project management and information solutions to customers working in the oil and gas industries. Robillard says that, for all of the focus the company has had on managing risk across its many clients over so many years, OPTALERT is the one objective measuring stick they’ve been missing. And he says the feedback among other companies trialling the technology has also been overwhelmingly positive, suggesting the time is right to move into a new phase in the Canadian, US and Mexican markets. “We’ve been ‘filling the pipe’ for the last six months in terms of building awareness, but now we’re really moving into more of an execution phase,” he says. They are encouraging signs for OPTALERT, and suggest the next six months will represent an exciting period for the company as the take up rate increases on an international scale. O


“ One of the things we found early on was that many of

the very progressive, companies in terms of risk management hadn’t yet heard of

the technology...

Once we had an opportunity to

demonstrate it to them though, they were absolutely blown away ”

www.optalert.com 21

As notable fleets like Toll and Linfox prepare to push legislation through supporting GPS as a mandatory tool for curbing fatigue related accidents, OPTALERT Chief Executive Office, John Prendergast has called the move dangerously misguided Australia’s foremost thought leader on the topic of Behaviour Based Safety (BBS) and its effects on Chain of Responsibility and fatigue management, Prendergast says he fully supports fleets such as Toll and Linfox for wishing to actively implement a system that will decrease fatigue-related accidents in the transport industry. But he warns that the proposed use of GPS to achieve that goal is fundamentally flawed. “OPTALERT’s sole purpose for existing as a company is to eliminate fatigue related accidents,” Mr Prendergast says. “This is a sustainable goal being achieved by forward thinking fleets, mining operators, long haul bus and 4x4 drivers using OPTALERT alertness monitoring technology.” “GPS is an undeniably useful technology for managing on time deliveries and informing fleet management on the whereabouts of its drivers and machinery.”


GPS Not the Answer to Fatigue Management

“ To suggest that GPS can make the highway safer by

preventing fatigue is simply quite misguided ”


He says that from a return on investment perspective, there’s no question that a fleet could not be profitable without it. “But to suggest that GPS can make the highway safer by preventing fatigue is simply quite misguided,” he says. Mr Prendergast says his main concern with the proposed move is that it does not take into consideration the nature of driver fatigue, which he says cannot be calculated or averaged out using GPS. Moreover, he says, it makes the assumption that drivers are always fit for work when they start their shift and fails to consider influencing factors outside of the workplace. “We’ve seen drivers close to a fatigue related accident for whatever reason after only 30 minutes on the road – nowhere near the proposed 9-hour GPS guide that is being discussed as the ‘cut off point’ by those pushing for mandatory use of telematic technology (GPS),” he says. “In fact, our experience tells us the majority of incidents occur within 45 minutes of leaving the depot.” “Truck driving is a unique profession with some inherently unique risks,” he adds. “Drivers must be attentive and alert at all times – there is no opportunity for error. That challenge, combined with the fact that the driver is highly likely to be working shifts and have a whole pile of out-of-work stresses, makes fatigue a very human condition.” “The only way to accurately measure the alertness of a driver during his journey is to monitor him in real time,” stresses Mr Prendergast. “This cannot be done through GPS, which uses pre-determined calculations to guess at fatigue levels.” A human approach is being rallied by OPTALERT, which says that although the transport industry may be used to adding gauges in trucks that report how far the machine can go, OPTALERT is the only device in the world that reports how far the person can go. “Both the person and the machine need to be looked at in unison to fight fatigue related accidents,” Mr Prendergast adds. “What we are saying is that both cannot be monitored by the same technology – in essence, the person is different to the machine.”


Earlier this year, Nationals Senator John Williams has criticised Basic Fatigue Management provisions which enforce strict rest breaks after a set period of work time.* He says a livestock truck driver in South Australia contacted him to say he was 70km from home but had to pullover and sleep in the truck for the night or risk a $500 fine. "Some 45 minutes or 50 minutes later he would have been home, he could have had a hot shower and a meal and been in his own bed. I think there is not enough flexibility in those circumstances," Williams says. Basic Fatigue Management rules state that “in any period of 24 hours a driver must not work for more than a maximum of 14 hours work time and must have the rest of that period off work with at least a minimum rest break of 7 continuous hours stationary rest time.”** The example voiced by Nationals Senator John Williams underscores the inadequacies of Australia’s Basic Fatigue Management rules no GPS system will seek to improve on. Had that South Australian livestock truck driver been equipped with OPTALERT, he would have been able to accurately measure his alertness level; determining his fatigue risk profile to continue his journey home at that time. Source: * ATN 2010, Fatigue Review on the Cards, Jul, p. 16. ** National Transport Commission 2008, Basic Fatigue Management Explained, Jul.

www.optalert.com 23

OPTALERT is the only scientifically proven, real-time system in the world that detects the early onset of driver drowsiness by accurately measuring a driver’s physiological alertness. “When a person’s workspace is the public highway, where ordinary men, women and children drive, workplace risk has a whole new meaning,” Prendergast says. “The need to incorporate a Behaviour Based Safety approach to OH&S and WorkSafe protocol becomes highly important.” “What we need to remember is that it’s essentially the behaviour of the individual that is the cause of fatigue accidents. Therefore, if you change behaviour, you will achieve an overall higher level of safety profile,” he says. He points out that OPTALERT is not a passive technology on a machine, but rather an active technology on a person – meaning it has the capacity to influence behaviour in real time. “Time and again we see customers achieving an overall reduction in the instance of accidents and near misses as a result of our technology, simply because it engages the driver as a device with the sole purpose of protecting the user, not the machine,” he says. “This critical distinction has an overall ripple effect over that person’s conscious approach to safety, something that simply isn’t possible when looking at alternative options such as GPS technology.” O

“ Although the transport industry

may be used to adding gauges in trucks that report

how far the machine can go, OPTALERT is

the only device in the world that

reports how far the person can go “


Eyes on the Prize

Medical researcher wins a Victoria Fellowship with the help of OPTALERT technology OPTALERT’s innovative drowsiness detection technology has helped secure a prestigious Victoria Fellowship for a young Victorian scientist who’s aiming to prevent driver fatigue. Currently completing her PhD at Monash University, Suzanne Ftouni (pictured standing centre above) is studying the effects of drowsiness in night shift workers with OPTALERT’s technology assisting key elements of her research. With driver fatigue regarded as the largest identifiable and preventable cause of transport accidents in Australia, Ftouni’s Fellowship grant will extend her research work to help tackle the problems of sleep deprivation and road safety for night shift workers. Ms Ftouni will travel to the Brigham and Women’s Hospital (a teaching affiliate of the Harvard Medical School) in Boston, USA, to run a highly controlled and in-depth analysis of the affects of sleep deprivation using OPTALERT’s technology to further test, assess and develop her research work. Currently completing her PhD at the School of Psychology and Psychiatry at Monash University, Ftouni will use her Fellowship grant to investigate drowsiness in a state of the art sleep laboratory using testing measures including the OPTALERT glasses along with additional vigilance methods.

“ Ongoing and continuous research

into fatigue that helps prevent road accidents has great

benefits for the community at large and we’re proud to

be a keystone part of Suzanne’s Fellowship

research “

www.optalert.com 25

“My research is looking at ways to tackle road safety problems, which particularly affects night shift workers whose sleep deprivation is amongst the highest in our community,” says Ftouni. The National Transport Commission research recently published by Vic Roads indicates that up to 30 per cent of truck fatalities and 52 per cent of major crash insurance claims are related to drowsy drivers. “Using the OPTALERT technology to help with my research might help build a case in the future for OPTALERT to be applied to all modes of transport to help with our road toll,” says Ms Ftouni. The Victoria Fellowships, each worth $18,000, are awarded by the Victorian Government to recognise young researchers with leadership potential and to enhance their future careers, while developing new ideas which could offer commercial benefit to Victoria. “We’re delighted to see Suzanne’s research work recognised with this Fellowship and that OPTALERT’s technology is being put to use in such important studies,” comments OPTALERT Chief Executive Officer, John Prendergast. “OPTALERT is passionate about improving road safety, so ongoing and continuous research into fatigue that helps prevent road accidents has great benefits for the community at large and we’re proud to be a keystone part of Suzanne’s Fellowship research,” he adds. O

Main pic: Suzanne Ftouni and the OPTALERT team (L to R) Rob Chapman, Dr Murray Johns, John Prendergast, Dr Andrew Tucker and Christopher Hocking. The Victorian Government annually awards up to six Victoria Fellowships to emerging leaders in engineering, science or technology. Each Fellow receives a travel grant of up to $18,000 to undertake a short-term overseas study mission. Study missions offer Victoria Fellows the opportunity to broaden their experience, develop networks and better understand where their activities fit into the local and international scene. Source: www.business.vic.gov.au


A Healthy Start for Indigenous Infants

Main pic: Iron deficiency in early life can stunt growth and impairs mental and motor development. The OPTALERT team is proud to support the Fred Hollows Foundation with a regular donation to help restore sight to people living with avoidable blindness across the world. The Fred Hollows Foundation is inspired by work of the late Professor Fred Hollows (pic above), whose vision was for a world where no one is needlessly blind. With the help of supporters like OPTALERT, the Fred Hollows Foundation works in over twenty countries world-wide with hope to build on their record of restoring sight to well over one million people. Source: www.fredhollows.org.au. Photo above by George Fetting.

In a bid to combat the severe iron deficiencies many indigenous infants experience, the Fred Hollows Foundation is trialling an innovative nutritional supplement in the remote Northern Territory community of Ngukurr While continuing to work at eradicating avoidable blindness around the world, the Fred Hollows Foundation also undertakes important work in supporting indigenous communities throughout Australia, including the recent ‘Sprinkles’ iron supplement program aimed at indigenous children. The Foundation's Health Promotion and Nutrition Development Coordinator, Danielle Aquino, says the ‘Sprinkles’ iron supplement could play an essential role in giving Indigenous children the best start in life. “Indigenous children in Australia are nearly 30 times more likely than non-Indigenous children to suffer from nutritional anaemia and malnutrition due to iron deficiencies in their diet,” Aquino says. Ngukurr children participating in the Sprinkles pilot project receive sachets of the supplement scattered daily across their meals. Each single dose sachet contains enough iron to meet their daily requirement, along with micro nutrients such as zinc, iodine, vitamins and folic acid. The fact that Sprinkles does not change the taste or colour of the food is central to its successful uptake. For more information please visit www.hollows.orga.au. O

www.optalert.com 27

International Year of Biodiversity

Greenfleet offsets the greenhouse gas emissions generated by the electricity used at OPTALERT’s head office building in Melbourne, Australia. Greenfleet is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to helping the community reduce the environmental impact of travel, business and lifestyle choices by adopting low-carbon alternatives and biosequestration. Led by Sara Gipton (above), Greenfleet exists to make a difference, not a profit. An important distinction not lost on OPTALERT in deciding who to partner with in taking our first environmental action steps. Since 1997, Greenfleet have planted more than 6 million native trees. Source: www.greenfleet.com.au

2010 has been declared International Year of Biodiversity by the United Nations. The whole world has been invited to celebrate life on earth and to cherish the biodiversity that supports it Australia is home to about 1 million of the estimated 13.6 million species of plants, animals and micro-organisms on earth; making Australia one of the few megadiverse countries in the world. About 85% of Australia’s terrestrial mammals, 91% of flowering plants, and 90% of reptiles and frogs are found nowhere else in the world. By planting indigenous species – species that belong to the land they are put in – Greenfleet help to restore balance in the ecosystems. As they grow, these trees supply the best resources for the local wildlife, in terms of habitat and food. But that’s not all – the forests also bring benefits to the soil, fighting erosion and salinity, to assist native flora in its development. They also act as filters to reduce air and water pollution, delivering clean air and water to all inhabitants of the planet – including us! If you want to do your bit for biodiversity: help protect precious habitat for the future by doing as much as you can to tackle climate change, plant native forests through Greenfleet, take an interest in a local park, keep a look out for birds, possums and wildflowers, share your knowledge and realise how lucky you are to be surrounded by these unique Australian treasures! For more information or to make a donation in support of Greenfleet and their environmental action please visit www.greenfleet.com.au. O


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BLINKEDin by OPTALERT, Dec 2010-Feb 2011