RFID connected gloves

Honeywell has launched the industry’s first “connected ready” electrical safety lineman gloves, which use embedded tracking technology to ensure gloves are always properly tested and certified before linemen use them for the most hazardous of electrical work.

Honeywell’s new Electriflex safety gloves include an optional embedded RFID tag, allowing utilities to help ensure the gloves meet safety requirements when worn by linemen working on power lines carrying up to 35,000 volts of electricity.

Utilities are required to regularly test electrical gloves worn by lineman. Using the RFID-enabled gloves and Honeywell’s Safety Suite software, utility companies can better track and manage their inventory, automate safety compliance reporting and better protect line workers.

“These connected-ready gloves will make it easier for utilities to ensure their linemen have the right certified gloves protecting them should they grab a high-voltage wire, while they also help utilities improve efficiency through simpler and faster records management, inventory control and forecasting ability,” says Kevin Pietras, marketing leader for Honeywell Industrial Safety. “The cloud-based Safety Suite will help utility safety managers make more informed judgments about when to replace equipment, monitor glove usage and educate crews around worker safety and asset management.”

Honeywell is developing a range of Connected Worker technologies designed to improve safety and worker productivity, while allowing customers to “better leverage data to drive better outcomes and save money,” it said.

The RFID tag used in the new gloves is a patented, non-metallic material that permits scanning of information even when the tag is bent or stretched. Users can scan the glove and, using the software, easily and quickly access a record of manufacturing history, including type of equipment, class, date of manufacture, test dates and sources, insulating material composition and other information. The information can be used to generate reports and certification labels, which can be transferred in real time to a smartphone, laptop or other networked device.

The data can be compiled automatically into reports, eliminating time-consuming manual audits and data logs, creating a birth-to-death history of the product that can be accessed on a smartphone or other mobile device for convenience and real-time awareness.

The Electriflex line, from Salisbury by Honeywell, is notable for its flexibility, dexterity and comfort, and has been used by linemen for more than 25 years.

https://www.salisburybyhoneywell.com

This product was originally featured in the February/March 2018 issue of COS.