Skip to main content

Caterpillar launches monitoring service for both man and machine

Caterpillar has launched a 24/7 monitoring service to oversee the human factor in machinery operations. Through in-cab and wearable safety technologies, analysts at Caterpillar’s 24/7 Monitoring Centre correlate data about the health and productivity of operators and equipment. The information can reveal the magnitude of conditions such as fatigue and distraction and their impact on operations. “Our customers want better visibility of how behaviour impacts safety and productivity,” said Tim Crane,
December 10, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
New Cat machines provide extensive data using telematics
Caterpillar has launched a 24/7 monitoring service to oversee the human factor in machinery operations

Through in-cab and wearable safety technologies, analysts at 178 Caterpillar’s 24/7 Monitoring Centre correlate data about the health and productivity of operators and equipment.

The information can reveal the magnitude of conditions such as fatigue and distraction and their impact on operations.

“Our customers want better visibility of how behaviour impacts safety and productivity,” said Tim Crane, Caterpillar’s safety services manager. “This innovative solution offers our customers the opportunity to mitigate risk and improve productivity.”

Caterpillar’s solution uses industry-leading technologies to gain visibility of risk, he said. Property damage, increased fuel burn and tire abuse have all been tied to fatigued or distracted operators.

The Driver Safety System (DSS), developed by Seeing Machines, an alliance partner of Caterpillar, includes an in-cab camera and alert system to notify the operator the moment a fatigue or distraction event occurs.

Events are tracked by analysts who also capture operator sleep quantity and quality information provided through the wrist-worn Cat Smartband, an actigraphy solution powered by Fatigue Science.

The enhanced visibility to risks extends beyond front-line employees to expose improvement opportunities throughout the organisation, including education and training, shift scheduling, leadership coaching and other cultural elements.

The DSS and Cat Smartband are part of a growing suite of tools that assist customers in improving safety by recognising that some risks are natural, inevitable and fully manageable, if made visible.

Combined with Cat machine data available through EMSolutions, the Cat MineStar System and the Cat Vital Information Management System (VIMS), operator performance data from the DSS and Smartband paints a powerful picture of fatigue and distraction risk and its impact on productivity and profitability.

“Technology alone is not the silver bullet for a safer or more productive operation,” said George Taylor, vice president of Caterpillar’s customer services support division.

“In fact, most technologies fail without proper consideration of the organisational culture and a plan to manage change. Caterpillar’s safety solutions bring management and employees together to achieve excellence, providing customers the greatest opportunity for successful implementation,” said Taylor.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • River level monitoring to reduce scour risk
    July 11, 2022
    An OTT ecoLog 1000 water level logger with cellular data connection to Hydromet Cloud was trialled upon the Vales Burn Bridge in Scotland
  • Caterpillar’s improved D8 dozer
    June 10, 2025

    The latest version of Caterpillar’s successful D8 bulldozer comes with an array of advanced technologies that the firm says are designed to provide faster more accurate results. Power comes from a Cat C15 engine that provides an increase in power to 271kW, boosting performance for a wide range of dozing, ripping and grading tasks. The engine is Stage V/Tier 4 Final compliant and drives through a fully automatic four-speed transmission with Lock-up Clutch (LUC) torque divider. 

  • Machine guidance and asset management aid fleet utilisation
    July 16, 2012
    Integrating Caterpillar's latest machine guidance and asset management tools offers efficiency gains for contractors in a competitive market. Mike Woof reports Caterpillar has been a leader in the development of GPS machine control systems through its partnership with Trimble. The manufacturer has rolled out a series of AccuGrade packages for various machines in its line-up, starting with the dozers and graders and then spreading to other machines such as scrapers, excavators and soil compactors. Caterpilla
  • WiM eases bridge structural health worries
    March 22, 2024
    Concerns about ageing road bridges are leading road authorities to consider the case for using weigh-in-motion - WiM - solutions to monitor health of such infrastructure, writes Adam Hill.