A Safety News article.
Otago forestry workers are using new radio technology to manage 23,730 hectares of forest more safely, even enabling them to perform under Covid-19 restrictions.
Initially deployed to replace an outdated analogue radio network, the system delivers many additional benefits for forestry company, City Forests. Among those benefits are contact-free communication and social distancing in the field, replacing the need for drivers to exchange paper job dockets with a digital docketing system.
The new solution incorporates digital two-way radio repeaters across four sites with radio dispatch software providing valuable data and safety features, helping to locate workers wherever they are in the forest.
The system also provides a touch-free method for workers to exchange other essential job details including truck numbers, log quantities and crew ID numbers. All of these solutions are integrated and connected to a digital network radio core.