Personal Locator Beacon: A New Safety Tool

Details

• Personal Author:
  Backus A
• Description:
  On July 1, 406 MHz Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs) became legal in the US. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) OK'd them for use by individuals, such as fishermen, boaters, hikers, and hunters, after several years of negotiations involving the Coast Guard, Air Force, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Federal Aviation Administration, FC PLBs are similar to the EPIRBs carried on many fishing vessels. It was the automatic distress signal of the EPIRB on board the 46' Candy B II that let the Coast Guard know an accident happened 50 miles south of Nantucket on Oct. 10 and triggered a four-day search for the four crewmen aboard the scalloper. Similarly, when activated by a person in distress, a 406 MHz PLB signals one or more satellites in low-Earth orbit and/or geosynchronous orbit. These satellites then relay the signal to a local terminal. From there, it alerts a control center where personnel check with the PLB registration at NOAA and then, if warranted, dispatch rescue teams. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Education Hunting Occupational Health Safety Staff Development Workplace
• Keywords:
  Fishing Fishing Industry Radio Waves Safety Culture Safety Education Safety Equipment Safety Measures Safety Practices Safety Programs Survival Rate Tools Training Work Environment Workers

  More +
• ISSN:
  0273-6713
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Massachusetts ; OSHA Region 1
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20061908
• Citation:
  Commercial Fish News 2003 Nov; :8B
• Contact Point Address:
  Ann Backus, MS, Director of Outreach, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston MA
• Email:
  abackus@hohp.harvard.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2004
• Performing Organization:
  Harvard School of Public Health
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20030701
• Source Full Name:
  Commercial Fisheries News
• End Date:
  20050630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:e3d47fc69c80051d17e59b109a4660a0a31df160c5139f88f273179665aadfe34e113f2fc80fadfc3a3e2f82448b6a0d65de0eefa34081ca52c4170422d02f4d
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/225253/cdc_225253_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 114.89 KB ]