Just patented: Hard Hat With in-Built Motion Sensor

We discovered an intriguing patent recently logged with the US patent authorities.

Described as potentially validating and monitoring the presence of workers on a construction site it’s a hard hat that comes equipped with a tracking mechanism, light- or speaker-signalling alarm and, potentially, a head lamp with built-in motion sensor.

The hat, which may also include temperature regulators and a communication system, was assigned by Michael Eugene Orientale, Robert Michael Boder and Andres Marcos, whose affiliations are tantalisingly unverifiable.

The patent file describes a construction industry whose workers are vulnerable to injury, which along with problems of theft and a lack of accountability leave employers exposed to considerable legal and financial risk.

It’s a fair comment given the statistics in this area.

While the industry has achieve steady drops in injuries and deaths since the 1970s, it remains one of the most dangerous sectors of the economy for its workers. Although it only accounts for 5% of employees in Britain it accounts for some 31% of fatal injuries and 10% of non-fatal injuries.

The tracking mechanism is said to comprise the following:

• At least one computer with display
• At least one hard hat with built-in radio-frequency identification chip
• At least one radio-frequency detector attached at a job site and connected to the computer
• And a computer program that indicates when at least one hard hat is being worn on the job site

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