RFID Solution Of Real Time Location Tracking (RTLS)

The RFID solution could be of many types. One could be just replacing the photo badges with RFLD proximity cards which require to be held close to door locks or other access control devices. These access control devices would have to be networked to a central computer to collect data on which cards moved through which gates. While this is a viable solution for an office complex, it is not practical for a chemical plant because most of the equipment, plants, and storage tanks are huge and do not have any “doors” or “gates” to have access to them. Building gates at each such area would be counterproductive as regular plant operations personnel cannot move about freely and their work can get hampered. Hence in such areas, an RLTS or Real Time Location System can be used effectively. How does this system work? An employee or contractor is issued an ID card with a powered UHF tag. The tag can be read from a distance of several meters. Visitors who enter the facility also get such a tag. There would be numerous RFID readers scattered all over the facility, which can simultaneously read any number of such RFID tags moving in their vicinity. Once an employee comes in the range of a reader (say near a storage tank farm) he is automatically logged in that area. Once he moves out of range, he is logged out until he is spotted by another reader.

Problems With The Present System:

• No system to locate a person, even within a vicinity of a few hundred feet. This is a big problem in case of a fire or other Disaster.
• One still has to carry out a physical head count.
• Once given a badge, a person can freely access any part of a large site which is not desirable because of safety and security.

Advantages Of RFID Solution:

• A real-time picture of all employees, contractors, and visitors who are in the facility.
• One can know if a particular employee or contractor is spending more time in a particular area. One can see if a contractor has unauthorizedly accessed another area

Future Scenarios Of Real Time Location Tracking (RTLS):

It is of utmost essential that personnel be located quickly in case of a disaster. In an infamous recent industrial accident, it was not known to the site management, how many people were inside, how many contract workers were inside, whether they were safe, etc. It was a full two days before people were located. Given these incidents, the authorities may make it mandatory to have such a system in place for all such high-hazard facilities.