System for monitoring the utilization of personal protective equipment by workers in the workplace

1. A system for monitoring utilization of personal protective equipment by workers in a workplace, comprising:

a set of first slave Radio Frequency Devices (RFIDs), each of which is paired to a corresponding piece of personal protective equipment to be used in said workplace and is configured to store information that identifies said corresponding piece of personal protective equipment;

a set of master RFIDs, each of which is paired to a corresponding worker working in said workplace and is configured to:

store information that identifies said corresponding worker, form with corresponding first slave RFI Ds that are paired to personal protective equipment with which said corresponding worker is equipped a corresponding Body Area Network (BAN), through which said corresponding first slave RFIDs communicate exclusively with said master RFIDs,

acquire the information stored by the corresponding first slave RFIDs from said corresponding first slave RFIDs through the corresponding Body Area Network (BAN), and

store the information acquired from said corresponding first slave RFIDs;

a set of monitoring RFID readers, each of which is arranged in a corresponding work area in the workplace and is configured to acquire from the master RFIDs present within the corresponding work area the information stored by said master RFIDs; and

a central control and monitoring computer connected to the monitoring RFID readers and configured to acquire from the monitoring RFID readers the information that said monitoring RFID readers acquire from the master RFIDs,

wherein, for each piece of personal protective equipment, the corresponding first slave RFID is coupled to a corresponding first sensor that is paired to said piece of personal protective equipment and is configured to supply said corresponding first slave RFID with a signal that indicates whether said piece of personal protective equipment is worn by a worker; and

wherein, for each piece of personal protective equipment, the corresponding first slave RFID is configured to detect whether said piece of personal protective equipment is worn by the worker, on the basis of the signal supplied by the corresponding first sensor.

2. The system of claim 1 ,

wherein each first slave RFID is configured to communicate, through the Body Area Network (BAN), with the master RFID paired to the worker who is equipped with the corresponding piece of personal protective equipment only if said corresponding piece of personal protective equipment is worn by said worker.

3. The system of claim 1 ,

wherein each first slave RFID is configured to inform, through the Body Area Network (BAN), the master RFID paired to the worker who is equipped with the corresponding piece of personal protective equipment whether said corresponding piece of personal protective equipment is worn by said worker;

and wherein each master RFID is configured, if a piece of personal protective equipment with which the corresponding worker is equipped is not worn by said corresponding worker, to:

generate an alarm, and

generate and store information concerning said piece of personal protective equipment not worn by said corresponding worker.

4. The system according to claim 1 , wherein each first slave RFID is also configured to store maintenance and overhaul information regarding the corresponding piece of personal protective equipment;

and wherein each master RFID is configured to:

also acquire maintenance and overhaul information from the corresponding first slave RFIDs, through the corresponding Body Area Network (BAN);

detect a first hazardous situation for the corresponding worker on the basis of the maintenance and overhaul information acquired from the corresponding first slave RFIDs;

if said first hazardous situation is detected, generate an alarm; and

if said first hazardous situation is detected, generate and store information concerning said first hazardous situation detected.

5. The system according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a set of second sensors, each of which is paired to a corresponding worker working in said workplace and is configured to detect physical parameters representing the operating conditions in which said corresponding worker works; and

a set of second slave RFIDs, each of which is coupled to a corresponding second sensor and is configured to acquire the physical parameters detected by the corresponding second sensor from said corresponding second sensor and to store information concerning the physical parameters acquired from said corresponding second sensor;

each master RFID being further configured to:

form the corresponding Body Area Network (BAN) also with corresponding second slave RFIDs that are coupled to second sensors paired to the corresponding worker, said corresponding second slave RFIDs communicating exclusively with said master RFID, through said corresponding Body Area Network (BAN);

acquire the information stored by the corresponding second slave RFIDs from said corresponding second slave RFIDs, through the corresponding Body Area Network (BAN); and

store the information acquired from said corresponding second slave RFIDs.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein each master RFID is further configured to:

detect a second hazardous situation for the corresponding worker on the basis of the information acquired from said corresponding second slave RFIDs;

if said second hazardous situation is detected, generate an alarm; and

if said second hazardous situation is detected, generate and store information concerning said second hazardous situation detected.

7. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the workplace comprises a specific work area that can only be entered by workers who are authorized to enter said specific work area and, for safety reasons, are equipped with the personal protective equipment necessary to enter said specific work area;

the set of monitoring RFID readers comprising a gate RFID reader placed at an entrance of the specific work area and-configured to check, on the basis of the information acquired from the master RFIDs present in the corresponding work area, that the workers who pass through said entrance are authorized to enter said specific work area and are equipped with the personal protective equipment necessary to enter said specific work area.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein said gate RFID reader is further configured to:

store a list of the workers authorized to enter the specific work area;

store a list of the personal protective equipment necessary to enter said specific work area;

check, on the basis of the information acquired from the master RFIDs present in the corresponding work area and the lists stored by said gate RFID reader, that the workers who pass through said entrance are authorized to enter said specific work area and are equipped with the personal protective equipment necessary to enter said specific work area;

detect, on the basis of the information acquired from the master RFIDs present in the corresponding work area and the lists stored by said gate RFID reader, a first presence at said entrance of a worker not authorized to enter the specific work area;

if the first presence is detected, generate an alarm;

if the first presence is detected, generate first information concerning said detected first presence;

detect, on the basis of the information acquired from the master RFIDs present in the corresponding work area and the lists stored by said gate RFID reader, a second presence at said entrance of a worker authorized to enter the specific work area who is not equipped with the personal protective equipment necessary to enter said specific work area;

if the second presence is detected, generate an alarm; and

if the second presence is detected, generate second information concerning said detected second presence;

the central control and monitoring computer being further configured to acquire the first information and the second information generated by the gate RFID reader from said gate RFID reader.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein said gate RFID reader is further configured to:

detect, on the basis of the information acquired from the master RFIDs present in the corresponding work area and the lists stored by said gate RFID reader, a third presence at said entrance of a worker authorized to enter the specific work area and equipped with the personal protective equipment necessary to enter said specific work area; and

issue a command for the automatic opening of the entrance if the third presence is detected.

10. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the workplace comprises a hazardous area in which only specific workers that are equipped with specific personal protective equipment can work;

the set of monitoring RFID readers comprising a specific monitoring RFID reader placed in said hazardous area and configured to check, on the basis of the information acquired from the master RFIDs present in the corresponding hazardous area, that the specific workers equipped with the specific personal protective equipment are present in said hazardous area.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein said specific monitoring RFID reader is further configured to:

store a list of the specific workers;

store a list of the specific personal protective equipment;

check, on the basis of the information acquired from the master RFIDs present in the corresponding hazardous area and the lists stored by said specific monitoring RFID reader, that the specific workers equipped with the specific personal protective equipment are present in said hazardous area;

detect, on the basis of the information acquired from the master RFIDs present in the corresponding hazardous area and the lists stored by said specific monitoring RFID reader, a fourth presence in the hazardous area of a worker who is not one of the specific workers;

if the fourth presence is detected, generate an alarm;

if the fourth presence is detected, generate third information concerning said detected fourth presence;

detect, on the basis of the information acquired from the master RFIDs present in the corresponding hazardous area and the lists stored by said specific monitoring RFID reader, a fifth presence in the hazardous area of one of the specific workers who is not equipped with the specific personal protective equipment;

if the fifth presence is detected, generate an alarm; and

if the fifth presence is detected, generate fourth information concerning said detected fifth presence;

the central control and monitoring computer being further configured to acquire the third information and the fourth information generated by the specific monitoring RFID reader from said specific monitoring RFID reader.

12. The system according to claim 1 , further comprising a set of alarm RFID reader, each of which is configured to:

detect a master RFIDs present in a corresponding alarm area;

if the presence of a master RFIDs is detected in the corresponding alarm area, detect a third hazardous situation for the worker paired to said detected master RFIDs; and

if the third hazardous situation is detected, generate an alarm.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein each alarm RFID reader is further configured to generate alarm information concerning the third hazardous situation if said third hazardous situation is detected;

the central control and monitoring computer being connected to the alarm RFID readers by means of a first communications network and being further configured to acquire from each alarm RFID reader, through said first communications network, the alarm information generated by said alarm RFID reader, the first communications network being comprised in the set formed by: a wireless network, a wired network, and a mixed wired and wireless network.

14. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the central control and monitoring computer is connected to the monitoring RFID readers by means of a second communications network comprised in the set formed by: a wireless network, a wired network, and a mixed wired and wireless network.

15. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the central control and monitoring computer is further configured to:

store all the information acquired;

generate and keep up-to-date a corresponding safety status for each worker, on the basis of all the information acquired; and

provide a user with the generated safety statuses by means of a user interface.

16. The system of claim 1 , wherein the corresponding first sensor comprises at least one photoelectric, pressure, light, capacity and magnetic sensors to detect that the personal protective equipment is worn by the worker.