Safety
Precision Mounting Technologies begins all design and manufacturing from the perspective of safety. A design discussion begins with impact possibilities and the effects of impact on the person or persons in the vehicle.
The second matter discussed is location of the mounting system. There are better and worse places to locate a mounting system meant to hold a computer or other radio type devices. Locating items in front of an air bag loaded glove box, is a sure way to invite injury or death. Locating items on the floor where space is meant for feet is a sure way to create disconnect and breakage issues. Mounting items in the windshield area which block starboard turning vision or starboard mirror vision cause driving hazards and at the end of the day driver aggravation.
A Third discussion surrounds the material available to mount against. Sometimes, fleet managers have a dream of “hanging” the computer in the perfect spot but are not totally cognizant of the thin metal they are using to do the hanging. Many vehicle dashboards are thin skinned plastic parts with thin 14-16 gauge sheet metal giving shape to the dash. Single thread clips are used to fasten dashboard parts together. Some bid specs call for 8 pound computers with 14 pound docking stations to be hung on the dashboard. Under smooth conditions this is plausible however on side impact accidents this hanging time bomb can be thrown into the face of the driver and cause extreme injury and even death.
Therefore after discussing all the danger points and weaknesses efforts are made to provide the best positioning to the computing device.
We consider the arm being supported to avoid carple Tunnel Syndrome, twist of the neck, turn of the head, the possibility of the back being twisted in the vehicle to get the right view, and even what possibility there is that an officer is able to get over the mounting system to the passenger side of the vehicle in case of shots fired or whether an officer is actually able to egress the vehicle and pursue a perpetrator considering how they were sitting in the vehicle for great periods of time looking at a computer screen.
Ergonomic Issues
A great effort is made to be sure computers can tilt, swivel, and travel in and out where ever possible. The human brain wants to look at a computer display at right angles. If that is not possible, the body begins to create that angle with its back and neck. If this happens the human body becomes worm shaped in the vehicle and chances are great the person would need to go through substantial stretching if needed to pursue someone rapidly outside the vehicle. Armrests are provided where ever possible or allowed by a department. This augments health and safety for the driver of the vehicle. Two armrests can be inserted if the application includes two person vehicles.
Crash Accident Issues
The selection of metal and the way it is formed determines how much injury can be avoided in a vehicle accident. The assumption is that at some time there will be an accident.Therefore:
a)The metal we use is aluminum: Reason, it is softer, and because we are machinists, we can shape the metal to avoid body contusion as much as possible.
b)All thick metal is rounded in order to minimize the possibility of impalement and severe forward moving accidents. Thin metal docks have a slicing effect under high speed impact.
c) Rounded Corners: Every effort is made to knock off all sharp corners so that if and when there is impact we have minimized the possibility of contusion.
d)Docking stations do not lock tight but ride on nylon bushings: It is a known fact in the business that sometimes seat belts are not used in police vehicles. This means, upon impact, that there could be a flying body. If the dock is locked tight and the person hits it, and it is made of steel, the body will break first. In our case we do not lock the docking station so, if hit, the dock will turn with the direction of the body movement causing a rolling effect rather than steel resistance. Again, an effort to minimize possible body damage. Under normal working conditions, the nylon bushing will keep the dock “sticky” tight.
e)Break Away Armrest: In the matter of consoles. A break away armrest is placed on the driver side of the console. While the armrest does its normal job, if side impacted from the passenger side, the torque force of impact may cause the human body to fly towards the passenger door. The armrest upon side impact from the driver’s body, swivels inward leaving open passage for the body (if not seat belted). The theory is the less things to hit inside the vehicle the less chance of injury.
f)Forward Locking Docking stations: Some styles of docking stations, where applicable, upon impact, will slide forward toward the dashboard, and then lock tight for two reasons. The first to open the space in the vehicle to give as large a cavity space as possible to the driver and secondly, that the computer itself is not the first reason for injury.
g)Airbags getting cut on Docking stations: A rather serious problem can take place when testing occurs and the airbag deploys but on its outward travel it in fact is cut by a sharp docking station. With the air loss the airbag is in fact useless and the head of a passenger hits the dashboard and has white powder all over it giving the appearance of an airbag functioning however the truth is in fact the airbag was broken on it’s way out do protect the passenger. Unless formal testing is done by an independent third party it is not difficult to forget to check for this or to admit it to a customer.
Accidents by definition are chaotic events unplanned by the vehicle or by the manufacture. Our attempt is to design product to minimize as much as possible injury possibilities. We make no attempt to try to figure out what could happen if a tree came through the window of the vehicle or if the vehicle is immersed in water we simply try to do all we can to minimize hurt.
Safety Testing
Many of PMT’s products have gone through vigorous safety testing. Because we have been making product for the Canadian Federal Police Force for more than 12 years, many of our applications have been air bag tested with crash dummies in the vehicles. Videos of this testing are available to serious customers.
However PMT has also a very large experience in making product for military applications. In 2008 our dashboard slide in mounting system was part of an IED explosion in Afghanistan. Many were injured in the accident however there were miraculously no deaths. The government of Canada responded by forcing PMT product to go through Bomb testing. PMT passed bomb testing on some of its military docks (for Panasonic computers) in July of 2008. Many of the PMT products have also gone through testing in Minneapolis under General Dynamics military specification requirements, at Yuma Arizona at the United States Military proving grounds and large numbers of docking systems, camera systems, tempest electronic distribution boxes and related mounting products have gone through safety and military testing at the Aberdeen proving grounds in Maryland. And have all passed. None have failed.
All of these experiences bring to bear on our ability to apply the best in safety to the products we design and manufacture in our shop.
Our Final Safety Check What is our history? PMT was the first company to manufacture a docking station for the CF25 computer . Since then more than 300,000 docking stations have been built for use in the United States, and Canada. Our safety record has been that a computer has never left our docking station when involved in a vehicle accident. This is a record unequalled by all other North American manufacturers.
There are police stories of computers coming off a dock in an accident and flying through the windshield and landing on the road. The good news was the computer still worked! Other stories include where an officer was sitting in the passenger seat, and with the computer in front of the dashboard on one of those fancy arms, a small impact took place and only the flak jacket he was wearing saved his life when the computer display was smashed to bits by a deploying airbag.
Other flying computers have sadly caused death.
Conclusion: It matters how things are built. And how much concern there is for human life. Many bids come to the market place without a single word about safety. We start from the safety point of view.
The second matter discussed is location of the mounting system. There are better and worse places to locate a mounting system meant to hold a computer or other radio type devices. Locating items in front of an air bag loaded glove box, is a sure way to invite injury or death. Locating items on the floor where space is meant for feet is a sure way to create disconnect and breakage issues. Mounting items in the windshield area which block starboard turning vision or starboard mirror vision cause driving hazards and at the end of the day driver aggravation.
A Third discussion surrounds the material available to mount against. Sometimes, fleet managers have a dream of “hanging” the computer in the perfect spot but are not totally cognizant of the thin metal they are using to do the hanging. Many vehicle dashboards are thin skinned plastic parts with thin 14-16 gauge sheet metal giving shape to the dash. Single thread clips are used to fasten dashboard parts together. Some bid specs call for 8 pound computers with 14 pound docking stations to be hung on the dashboard. Under smooth conditions this is plausible however on side impact accidents this hanging time bomb can be thrown into the face of the driver and cause extreme injury and even death.
Therefore after discussing all the danger points and weaknesses efforts are made to provide the best positioning to the computing device.
We consider the arm being supported to avoid carple Tunnel Syndrome, twist of the neck, turn of the head, the possibility of the back being twisted in the vehicle to get the right view, and even what possibility there is that an officer is able to get over the mounting system to the passenger side of the vehicle in case of shots fired or whether an officer is actually able to egress the vehicle and pursue a perpetrator considering how they were sitting in the vehicle for great periods of time looking at a computer screen.
Ergonomic Issues
A great effort is made to be sure computers can tilt, swivel, and travel in and out where ever possible. The human brain wants to look at a computer display at right angles. If that is not possible, the body begins to create that angle with its back and neck. If this happens the human body becomes worm shaped in the vehicle and chances are great the person would need to go through substantial stretching if needed to pursue someone rapidly outside the vehicle. Armrests are provided where ever possible or allowed by a department. This augments health and safety for the driver of the vehicle. Two armrests can be inserted if the application includes two person vehicles.
Crash Accident Issues
The selection of metal and the way it is formed determines how much injury can be avoided in a vehicle accident. The assumption is that at some time there will be an accident.Therefore:
a)The metal we use is aluminum: Reason, it is softer, and because we are machinists, we can shape the metal to avoid body contusion as much as possible.
b)All thick metal is rounded in order to minimize the possibility of impalement and severe forward moving accidents. Thin metal docks have a slicing effect under high speed impact.
c) Rounded Corners: Every effort is made to knock off all sharp corners so that if and when there is impact we have minimized the possibility of contusion.
d)Docking stations do not lock tight but ride on nylon bushings: It is a known fact in the business that sometimes seat belts are not used in police vehicles. This means, upon impact, that there could be a flying body. If the dock is locked tight and the person hits it, and it is made of steel, the body will break first. In our case we do not lock the docking station so, if hit, the dock will turn with the direction of the body movement causing a rolling effect rather than steel resistance. Again, an effort to minimize possible body damage. Under normal working conditions, the nylon bushing will keep the dock “sticky” tight.
e)Break Away Armrest: In the matter of consoles. A break away armrest is placed on the driver side of the console. While the armrest does its normal job, if side impacted from the passenger side, the torque force of impact may cause the human body to fly towards the passenger door. The armrest upon side impact from the driver’s body, swivels inward leaving open passage for the body (if not seat belted). The theory is the less things to hit inside the vehicle the less chance of injury.
f)Forward Locking Docking stations: Some styles of docking stations, where applicable, upon impact, will slide forward toward the dashboard, and then lock tight for two reasons. The first to open the space in the vehicle to give as large a cavity space as possible to the driver and secondly, that the computer itself is not the first reason for injury.
g)Airbags getting cut on Docking stations: A rather serious problem can take place when testing occurs and the airbag deploys but on its outward travel it in fact is cut by a sharp docking station. With the air loss the airbag is in fact useless and the head of a passenger hits the dashboard and has white powder all over it giving the appearance of an airbag functioning however the truth is in fact the airbag was broken on it’s way out do protect the passenger. Unless formal testing is done by an independent third party it is not difficult to forget to check for this or to admit it to a customer.
Accidents by definition are chaotic events unplanned by the vehicle or by the manufacture. Our attempt is to design product to minimize as much as possible injury possibilities. We make no attempt to try to figure out what could happen if a tree came through the window of the vehicle or if the vehicle is immersed in water we simply try to do all we can to minimize hurt.
Safety Testing
Many of PMT’s products have gone through vigorous safety testing. Because we have been making product for the Canadian Federal Police Force for more than 12 years, many of our applications have been air bag tested with crash dummies in the vehicles. Videos of this testing are available to serious customers.
However PMT has also a very large experience in making product for military applications. In 2008 our dashboard slide in mounting system was part of an IED explosion in Afghanistan. Many were injured in the accident however there were miraculously no deaths. The government of Canada responded by forcing PMT product to go through Bomb testing. PMT passed bomb testing on some of its military docks (for Panasonic computers) in July of 2008. Many of the PMT products have also gone through testing in Minneapolis under General Dynamics military specification requirements, at Yuma Arizona at the United States Military proving grounds and large numbers of docking systems, camera systems, tempest electronic distribution boxes and related mounting products have gone through safety and military testing at the Aberdeen proving grounds in Maryland. And have all passed. None have failed.
All of these experiences bring to bear on our ability to apply the best in safety to the products we design and manufacture in our shop.
Our Final Safety Check What is our history? PMT was the first company to manufacture a docking station for the CF25 computer . Since then more than 300,000 docking stations have been built for use in the United States, and Canada. Our safety record has been that a computer has never left our docking station when involved in a vehicle accident. This is a record unequalled by all other North American manufacturers.
There are police stories of computers coming off a dock in an accident and flying through the windshield and landing on the road. The good news was the computer still worked! Other stories include where an officer was sitting in the passenger seat, and with the computer in front of the dashboard on one of those fancy arms, a small impact took place and only the flak jacket he was wearing saved his life when the computer display was smashed to bits by a deploying airbag.
Other flying computers have sadly caused death.
Conclusion: It matters how things are built. And how much concern there is for human life. Many bids come to the market place without a single word about safety. We start from the safety point of view.