Chemical Engineering August 2020 - 14

AMAG Technology
FIGURE 1. The Symmetry Mobile product for access management allows users to credential visitors and
workers for access to various areas in a way that does not require any in-person contact
PariRange, a peer-to-peer social distancing
and contact-tracing device.
Employees wear the PariRange
device, which monitors the distance
from other devices. Ultra-wideband
and time-of-flight technology measure
distance between devices with
a rated accuracy of four inches.
When an employee comes within
six feet of another device, PariRange
sends a vibration alert. Date and
duration of close contacts are recorded
whenever multiple devices
come within the 6-ft range. Each
day, the duration of close contact a
user's device has with other devices
is aggregated and stored for 14-28
days. Data are easily viewed through
a PariRange Log Reader, which can
be connected to a computer via
USB, or placed throughout a facility
to pull data from employee devices
automatically as they walk by.
If an illness occurs, the device can
identify employees who have had
close contact with the infected individual.
This allows businesses to
take action quickly and follow recommended
protocols to curtail infection
spread, the company says.
With the pandemic forcing many
plant employees to work from home,
there is an increased need to get
timely safety diagnostic information
remotely. Fire and gas safety system
solutions provider Det-Tronics (Minneapolis,
Minn.; www.det-tronics) offers
an example of this. Det-Tronics
systems product manager William
14
Crosley says " Because travel and onsite
field visit restrictions have limited
the number of people on plant sites,
integrating the process control and
life-safety systems can be critical. A
certified, documented fire and gas
safety system that can communicate
appropriate messages to the process
control and emergency shutdown
systems enables the plant to
monitor both systems' parameters
simultaneously through fixed and
remote-operator stations. When integrated
with the process control system,
Eagle Quantum Premier fire and
gas safety system can provide continuous
real-time status of its flame
and gas detection devices as well as
the suppression system. "
Access management and health
Access to industrial sites has always
been a priority from a security perspective,
but the public-health concerns
have added a new dimension.
A new technology product that is addressing
this area is Symmetry Mobile
(Figure 1), a product developed by
AMAG Technology Inc. (Hawthorne,
Calif.; www.amag.com). Symmetry
Mobile is an internet application that
lets its users credential visitors without
necessitating any in-person contact.
It provides full central control
over credentials, photos, devices and
configuration all from the app, including
multi-factor authentication.
" By using a smartphone instead
of access cards, a site can eliminate
the need to visit a badging office and
stand in line to physically interact
with security staff, " explains AMAG
product director Johnathan Moore.
AMAG provides both software
and hardware for the system, which
can manage access to various areas
of a plant site to visitors, Moore
says. Symmetry Mobile allows central
management of the credentials,
photos and devices remotely.
Adding another dimension to access-management
systems are recently
launched products that can
support building entry with health
screening systems that can detect
elevated body temperatures. Among
them is the Siveillance Thermal Shield
(Figure 2) from Siemens AG (Munich,
Germany; www.siemens.com). This
package quickly measures the body
temperature of a person seeking to
access a building and enables the
results to be integrated into the video
and access systems of corporations.
Thermal imaging cameras are used
to measure, in a contactless way, the
body temperature at a distance of up
to two meters, ensuring the safety
of monitoring staff. If the camera
screening indicates an elevated body
temperature, a second reading must
be taken using a medical thermometer
to confirm the finding.
In July, Honeywell Performance
Materials and Technologies (Houston;
www.honeywell.com) announced
a complete, modular
software solution to help industrial
companies enforce compliance with
key health and safety requirements
as their employees return to the
workplace, including body temperature
checks and automated entry
management processes.
The system leverages the comsite
monipany's
existing digitized workforce
platform, and facilitates
toring compliance in accordance
with social distancing policies. It also
enables contact tracing and monitoring
of worker safety and includes
remote collaboration capabilities to
empower company operations with
a reduced workforce.
The system can support Honeywell
thermal cameras that can be
used with systems compliant with
NDAA 2019, Section 889 to check
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Chemical Engineering August 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Chemical Engineering August 2020