Access and tracking in the NEAT Gotthard tunnel
Underground building sites always entail greater risks for workers and equipment alike. Special solutions are needed to be able to locate persons or assets immediately in the event of an incident.
Securiton has devised a concept that allows smooth access for workers and visitors at the Gotthard base tunnel construction site and also facilitates the task of permanent tracking.
Many people work underground every day, whether in tunnels or in mines. On these sites security is particularly important. In the event of an incident, personnel must be evacuated as rapidly as possible. When this happens it is easy to lose track of where everyone is and who has to be evacuated. This is where people and asset tracking from Securiton comes into its own.
Special tracking technology
Rescue services have to know where their help is needed and how many people need to be rescued, which is why all the workers, visitors and vehicles at the NEAT building site inside the Gotthard base tunnel are equipped with special Securiton badges. When people talk of tracking or localisation, they usually mean GPS technology (Global Positioning System). While the GPS system works perfectly outdoors, it cannot be used underground; this is where RFID technology (Radio Frequency Identification) comes into play. This localisation system uses its own array of antennas, which forwards the data received from the badges to a centralised server. In the event of an incident the exact locations of all persons, assets and vehicles are accurately displayed.
Secure access
The badges used in the Gotthard base tunnel also act as door openers for the workers; as soon as they enter the installation sites and tunnel portals, the revolving gates and barriers are automatically activated. If a person enters the tunnel without a badge, an alarm is triggered at the control centre and a graphical map detail is automatically displayed on a monitor. All the localisation data is visible on the system at all times: how many people and vehicles are located where, who is where, etc. All the securityrelevant information is also shown on the visualisation system (SLS-Pro from Securiton). The system is an important part of the security concept during the building phase of the Gotthard Tunnel and will be dismantled again in 2017.
