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CAPITAL EQUIPMENT NEWS

FEBRUARY 2016

ALCO-SAFE AND TRAKA COLLABORATE TO TAKE THE KEYS AWAY

FROM DRUNK DRIVERS - THE SAFE WAY

lcohol and keys don’t pair well. Alcohol

is responsible for 60 % of fatal ac-

cidents and up to 40 % of workplace

accidents. ALCO-Safe, experts in drug and

alcohol testing solutions, and key manage-

ment solutions company, Traka, a subsidiary

of ASSA ABLOY, are delivering an innovative

new solution to market – a breathalyser add-

ed to Traka’s Key Management System – that

will ensure only sober employees can access

and return keys.

Rhys Evans, director at ALCO-Safe says:

“Irresponsible use of alcohol puts people,

assets and the business at risk. For busi-

nesses that make use of vehicles and heavy

equipment, like transport and construction

companies, mines, and organisations using

warehousing facilities, detecting and con-

trolling substance abuse is critical. Legisla-

tion demands they put practicable process-

es in place and this collaboration between

ALCO-Safe and Traka provides them with an

excellent tool to do that.”

Adding a breathalyser to a key

management system

ALCO-Safe’s alcohol testing solutions are

used daily to test over 100 000 employees

in mines and other businesses in South

Africa. Among its leading products is the

Lion Alcolock DS 10 which uses an elec-

trochemical fuel cell sensor to measure the

concentration of alcohol vapour in the sub-

ject’s expired breath. Traka’s Key System is

an intelligent key management solution that

combines RFID technology, touchscreen

technology, PIN access and key security

seals to enforce user, key and access rights.

The Lion Alcolock DS 10 is connected to

Traka’s Key System via an Application Pro-

gramme Interface (API). To access or return

a key, an employee must first identify them-

selves via fingerprint biometrics and a pin

code, then blow into the breathalyser. Based

on the signal from the breathalyser, the Traka

system will open to release the key or allow

its return, or not.

“This not only prevents employees from

driving under the influence but checks that

users returning keys have not used alcohol

during their shift,” notes Evans.

Alcohol – it doesn’t take much

Legislation like the Occupational Health and

Safety Act and the Mines Health and Safety

Act make it mandatory for businesses to put

practicable measures in place to mitigate

the risk of alcohol and substance abuse.

Evans adds, “Alcohol, even many hours after

consumption has stopped, severely impairs a

person’s ability to properly operate equipment

and vehicles, slowing reaction time, reducing

concentration, and leading to poor judgement.”

The National Road Traffic Act puts the cur-

rent limit for a private motorist at 0.050%

Blood alcohol concentration and for a profes-

sional driver at 0.020 % BAC. At the old 0.080

% legal drink-drive limit the probability of hav-

ing an accident is four to five times that of a

sober person. At the 0.12 % level it is 12 to 13

times, and at the 0.160 % level the increased

chance is around 30 times. A 100 kg person

could reach these levels after consuming four,

six or eight beers, respectively.

Blood alcohol levels as low as 0.020 %,

the result of approximately one drink, will

decrease the ability to judge, for example,

whether a vehicle is able to pass through a

gap. Other trials have shown that lateral vision

and depth perception of drivers deteriorates

significantly with consumption, and that even

five hours after stopping consumption, there is

still a 16 % deterioration, notes Evans.

“ALCO-Safe has been delivering drug and

alcohol testing solutions to the market for over

43 years and we are fully aware of the chal-

lenges and risks businesses face daily. This

solution is tailor-made for responsible com-

panies that want to address direct daily risk.”

Says Managing Director of Traka, Clint

Willemse, “The partnership with ALCO-Safe

to jointly market our solutions makes great

sense, enhancing the benefits for our clients.

The breathalyser enhances the functionality

of our key management system, adding an

additional layer of security to help our clients

mitigate business risk and protect their peo-

ple. It meets a critical need in the market.”

TEREX® MINERALS

LAUNCH NEW MODULAR

MC380X CONE PLANT

One of the world leaders of material

processing technology for modular, portable

and static crushing and screening equipment

is pleased to announce the launch of the

Terex Minerals Processing MC380X Modular

cone plant.

As part of its continuing product

development strategy for the modular

product line, Terex

Minerals Processing

Systems is pleased to launch the MC380X

Modular Cone Plant for utilization by

aggregate and mining customers worldwide.

The NEW MC380X cone module features

the Terex

Cedarapids high performance

MVP380X cone crusher. The MC380X

boasts numerous features that increase the

machine’s productivity and ease of use.

Major new enhancements include high

speed clearing of jammed material; quick

crusher separation capability for faster

manganese changes; and user friendly

computer controls enclosed in a robust

weather-protected control panel. Other

key features of the MC380X include an

extra-heavy duty I-beam frame, galvanized

steel structure including walkways, stairs

and guard rails as standard. The module

structure and all its components are CE

Compliant.

The modular structure bolts together on-

site boasting quick set up times using basic

tools. Pre-wired with a plug and play design

the Terex MPS modules require minimum

on-site wiring.