INGENIEUR
Considering the factors above, there is a
need for a total revamp of the system to improve
security, process delivery and cost optimization
while incorporating new current technology
practices in the green card system.
GREEN CARD: RFID TECHNOLOGY POTENTIAL &
APPLICATION
Basically RFID is the wireless non-contact use of
radio-frequency electromagnetic fields to transfer
data, for the purpose of automatically identifying
and tracking tags attached to objects. Some
tags are powered by battery and operate over a
few metres via magnetic fields and then act as a
passive transponder to emit microwaves or UltraHigh-Frequency radio waves. Others use a local
power source and may operate over hundreds
of metres. Unlike a barcode, the tag does not
necessarily need to be within line of sight of the
reader, and may be embedded in the tracked
object.
The history of RFID can be traced back
to early 1940s during World War II when it was
used to identify allied and enemy aircraft. The
technology started to evolve and has been widely
used in various applications such as:
Tracking persons and animals,
●●
Access management,
●●
Identifying and tracking goods and
●●
assets,
Toll collection and contactless payment,
●●
Machine readable travel documents,
●●
Tracking sports memorabilia to verify
●●
authenticity, and
Airport baggage tracking logistics.
●●
RFID in Construction
In the construction industry, the application of RFID
has a huge potential to be exploited. RFID tags
allow information to be read contactlessly, or written
and fixed to tools, people or materials used in the
sector. As a result it is possible to track and trace
individual items through what has been termed as
the ‘Internet of things’. In term of handling site
workers and resources, it can improve the quality
of project management by replacing manual data
collection methods with automated ones which
are faster and more reliable for detail analysis.
Furthermore RIFD can help make information
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VOL 55 JUNE – JUNE
about assets or resources more readily available
by enabling the collection and consolidation
of information for reporting and auditing. Such
applications will result in improving accountability
by establishing who did what with which, where and
when. The applications of RFID specifically in the
construction sector are as follows:
Access control to sites or areas within
●●
sites and monitoring security staff
activities on site,
Health,
safety
&
environmental
●●
compliance,
Maintenance control and management,
●●
Control of the location of valuable assets,
●●
Material identification and tracking, and
●●
Plant equipment tracking and control
●●
Looking at such potential, CIDB Malaysia
carried out a RFID pilot project by incorporating the
system into the green card infrastructure called
GCSRS. This system is an approach to install
RFID chips in the current CIDB’s green card that
is currently used by construction industry workers.
Such a system allows the full benefits of a smart
communication system and provides the platform
for online initiatives where CIDB could shift their
manual form-filling to a computerised and Internetbased system for daily operation management
with their clients.
The current green card only displays
information of workers printed on the card without
any ‘smart’ technology embedded. GCSRS
implementation, allows the RFID card to be used
in many applications similar to the Malaysian’s
Identity Card. The memory within the card can be
retrieved and stored electronically when needed by
using an appropriate RFID device.
Furthermore, RFID card functionality can be
fully utilized with the application of a new integrated
RFID counter system that could increase the
efficiency of the counter service. Instead of using
a manual key-in approach when searching card
data in the database, the application of a RFID
scanner will speed up the search process and
cut queuing times at the counter. Similarly CIDB’s
enforcement teams can use a RIFD scanner during
site checking. The enforcement officer just needs
to bring along the RFID mobile reader (validator),
which could be used to check and validate the
construction personnel card instantly on site
instead of using the old method of manually
checking the attendance list.