Tracking compliance of personal protection articles

Abstract

Methods and systems for tracking compliance of personal protection (PP) articles in working environments. Tracking compliance includes providing at least one PP article configured with a smart tag; providing at least one predetermined criterion that governs compliance with respect to the at least one PP article in a particular working environment; tracking the PP article by retrieving smart tag data; and determining whether the smart tag data satisfies at least one predetermined criterion; and storing data relating to results of the determination.

1 . (canceled) 
     
     
         2 . A system comprising:
 at least one personal protection article configured with a smart tag, and at least one smart tag scanner configured to read the smart tag;   at least one sensor configured to sense one or more variables related to usage of the at least one personal protection article, wherein the at least one personal protection article is configured with the smart tag to carry smart tag data that corresponds to the one or more variables, the smart tag data being accessible by wireless communication;   a computing device communicatively coupled to the smart tag scanner, wherein the computing device:   configures at least one predetermined criterion associated with the at least one personal protection article, the at least one predetermined criterion corresponding to the one or more variables;   tracks, from the at least one personal protection article and using wireless communication, the smart tag data of the smart tag for the one or more variables, wherein a type of the at least one personal protection article determines the one or more variables;   determines whether the smart tag data satisfies the at least one predetermined criterion based at least in part on the smart tag data of the smart tag for the one or more variables; and   processes a result relating to the determination of whether the smart tag data satisfies the at least one predetermined criterion.   
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein to process the result relating to the termination of whether the smart tag data satisfies the at least one predetermined criterion, the computing device generates at least one report of the smart tag data. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein the computing device generates the at least one report based at least in part on a location of the smart tag in a working environment in which the at least one personal protection article is used. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the smart tag data indicates at least one of: usage, processing, location, or condition of the at least one personal protection article. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein to process the result relating to the determination of whether the smart tag data satisfies the at least one predetermined criterion, the computing device determines that the at least one predetermined criterion is not satisfied. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the computing device outputs a communication to a user of the at least one personal protection article, based at least in part on the determination of whether the smart tag data satisfies the at least one predetermined criterion. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein the type of the at least one personal protective article comprises at least one of respiratory protection equipment, protective eyewear, protective headwear, hearing protection, protective footwear, protective clothing, or protective articles. 
     
     
         9 . A method comprising:
 providing at least one sensor for sensing one or more variables related to usage of a personal protection article and configuring the at least one personal protection article with a smart tag to carry data for the one or more variables, the smart tag data being accessible by wireless communication;   configuring, by a computing device, at least one predetermined criterion associated with the at least one personal protection article, the at least one predetermined criterion corresponding to the one or more variables;   tracking, by the computing device and from the at least one personal protection article, the data of the smart tag for the one or more variables by wireless communication, wherein a type of the at least one personal protection article determines the variables;   determining whether the smart tag data satisfies the at least one predetermined criterion based at least in part on the data of the smart tag for the one or more variables; and   processing a result relating to the determination of whether the smart tag data satisfies the at least one predetermined criterion.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein processing the result relating to the determination of whether the smart tag data satisfies the at least one predetermined criterion further comprises generating at least one report of the smart tag data. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising generating the at least one report based at least in part on a location of the smart tag in a working environment in which the at least one personal protection article is used. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the smart tag data indicates at least one of: usage, processing, location, or condition of the at least one personal protection article. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein processing the result relating to the determination of whether the smart tag data satisfies the at least one predetermined criterion comprises determining that the at least one predetermined criterion is not satisfied. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising outputting a communication to a user of the at least one personal protection article, based at least in part on the determination of whether the smart tag data satisfies the at least one predetermined criterion. 
     
     
         15 . A computing device comprising:
 one or more computer processors; and   a memory comprising instructions that when executed by the one or more computer processors cause the one or more computer processors to:   provide at least one sensor for sensing one or more variables related to usage of a personal protection article and configuring the at least one personal protection article with a smart tag to carry data for the one or more variables, the smart tag data being accessible by wireless communication;   configure at least one predetermined criterion associated with the at least one personal protection article, the at least one predetermined criterion corresponding to the one or more variables;   track, from the at least one personal protection article, the data of the smart tag for the one or more variables by wireless communication, wherein a type of the at least one personal protection article determines the variables;   determine whether the smart tag data satisfies the at least one predetermined criterion based at least in part on the data of the smart tag for the one or more variables; and   process a result relating to the determination of whether the smart tag data satisfies the at least one predetermined criterion.   
     
     
         16 . The computing device of  claim 15 , where the memory further comprises instructions that when executed by the one or more computer processors cause the one or more computer processors to generate at least one report of the smart tag data. 
     
     
         17 . The computing device of  claim 16 , where the memory further comprises instructions that when executed by the one or more computer processors cause the one or more computer processors to generate the at least one report based at least in part on a location of the smart tag in a working environment in which the at least one personal protection article is used. 
     
     
         18 . The computing device of  claim 15 , the smart tag data indicates at least one of: usage, processing, location, or condition of the at least one personal protection article. 
     
     
         19 . The computing device of  claim 15 , where the memory further comprises instructions that when executed by the one or more computer processors cause the one or more computer processors to determine that the at least one predetermined criterion is not satisfied. 
     
     
         20 . The computing device of  claim 15 , where the memory further comprises instructions that when executed by the one or more computer processors cause the one or more computer processors to output a communication to a user of the at least one personal protection article, based at least in part on the determination of whether the smart tag data satisfies the at least one predetermined criterion. 
     
     
         21 . The computing device of  claim 15 , wherein the type of the at least one personal protective article comprises at least one of respiratory protection equipment, protective eyewear, protective headwear, hearing protection, protective footwear, protective clothing, or protective articles.