A solid rocket motor manufacturer has adopted a TETRA radio solution to help improve lone worker safety and communications coverage at its large industrial complex in France, which employs some 1200 workers, Matt Conder writes.

At a vast plant in Haillen, Snecma Propulsion Solide, part of the Safran group, designs and manufactures solid rocket motors for missiles and space launchers. The plant’s extensive campus, which has numerous buildings housing research, manufacturing and office facilities, presents barriers to seamless communications in certain areas of the site.

Localization in and out

The plant has chosen Sepura STP8000 handportable radios with man-down functionality as part of a TETRA solution deployed by Sepura and its French partner, Sysoco. According to Sepura, the TETRA radios have been integrated with Sysoco’s DIGIProtect system, which enables real-time management and tracking of Snecma’s TETRA radio fleet, through an indoor localization system consisting of radio autonomous beacons and outdoor localization deployed via the radio’s GPS receiver.

The STP8000’s man-down capability features an alert call for lone workers. A call is automatically generated when motion sensing technology detects loss of verticality of the device or absence of movement. Calls generated in this way are allocated priority transmission by DIGIProtect.

The radio beacons at the heart of the DIGIProtect system are strategically placed to optimize indoor localisation in an alert scenario, when the radio would send its identity to the closest beacon. To guide rescue teams to the exact location of an incident, software at the control centre provides a visual display of all sites on a dispatch screen, which instantly identifies the individual concerned and the precise sector covered by the relevant beacon.

Controlling risks

“One of Snecma’s operational priorities is the control of risks at its site”, said Pierre Letta, marketing manager for Sysoco. “Workers can now go about their daily tasks with complete confidence that they’re never going to be out of contact. Lone workers will never actually be alone; direct contact with base assures it.”

Simao Rocha, business development manager at Sepura, added: “The superior sound quality of the Sepura STP8000 enables workers to communicate irrespective of background noise and the incorporation of DIGIProtect gives lone workers peace of mind.”