Mercedes is using the barcodes to help emergency responders to better rescue people from crashes.
A new system using QR codes is in the works by Mercedes Benz that is being designed to assist emergency workers to be able to more quickly and safely extract the occupants of vehicles that have been involved in an accident that has trapped them inside.
The system helps to show emergency workers exactly how to remove passengers from the vehicles.
It is designed to combine the use of QR codes with rescue sheets that show police, firefighters, and paramedics the information that they require to know just where to use their “jaws of life” rescue sheers to extract passengers who are trapped within the vehicles. It provides them with information about the air bags, hydraulic lines, and any electrical cables, as well as other useful data about the vehicle and where it is safe and appropriate to cut through them.
The QR codes are printed on two stickers where the barcodes are displayed quite prominently.
By scanning those QR codes using mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones, rescue workers are able to obtain immediate access to this information so that they can act quickly, appropriately, and with the greatest amount of safety to remove the occupants of a crashed car. The goal is to help to work with the rescue workers to reduce the amount of time needed to cut open a vehicle, and therefore save lives.
At the moment, rescue workers must either depend on hard copies of the rescue sheets, or they are required to search for the information online – assuming that this information has been made available on the internet. Now, Mercedes Benz is making sure that all of the required data for its vehicles, and that this information is linked to the QR codes.
In an expansion of that effort to save more lives, Mercedes Benz has waived its right to patent the system using the QR codes to access vehicle schematics by emergency workers who need to extract trapped people in vehicles. They are hoping that other automakers will, therefore, choose to take advantage of this technology which will already have been developed.
Nationwide Platforms, a rental company, has added the quick response barcodes for use by smartphone owners.
The rental company, Nationwide Platforms, has just announced that it has affixed QR codes to its equipment in order to make it easier for smartphone users to be able to lower the risk of emergency situations.
Though print documentation is already available, the barcodes are used to provide this and additional information.
QR codes were selected because they are now recognized by many people, and because the majority of individuals have a smartphone or tablet that is able to scan these barcodes in order to obtain the related info. Most of the fleet at Nationwide Platforms has already been fitted with its stickers, which provide a direct link to guidance to lower emergencies.
The QR codes are customized for each distinct equipment model or group of models across the United Kingdom.
Nearly all of the fleet’s units will have QR codes affixed to them by the end of the year, according to the plans of the program. This includes those that the business will purchase throughout 2013. The barcodes will be printed on stickers that are fitted directly onto the base of the machine.
Beyond using the QR codes as a type of practical tool, the company is hoping that this effort will also have a broader impact that will help to better the awareness surrounding the importance of becoming familiar with the safety procedures associated with the equipment.
Mark Keily, the QHSE director, stated that “Improving the way we manage welfare and wellbeing means improving the way we engage with all of those who come into contact with our products or services. With that in mind, we’re proud to have harnessed the power of technology to give our customers even more opportunities to get the guidance which could truly make a difference in an emergency situation.”
Similarly, Peter Douglas, the operations director, added to that statement, saying that using powered access is being increasingly recognized as among the most effective and safe techniques for functioning with the greatest levels worldwide. He said that as the market leader in the United Kingdom, it has become their purpose to add to and achieve greater safety accomplishments, be that through “innovation, investment, or simply taking the lead in making a difference.” QR codes fit into this strategy quite smoothly.
