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No wearables? No problem

Every Red Zone monitoring conversation eventually lands on the same question: is a wearable required for personnel in areas of heightened risk? It’s a fair question, and it deserves a straight answer — not a sales pitch.

So, let’s make the honest case for wearables first, because there is one.

This article first appeared on LinkedIn in July 2026, see here.

The case for wearables

Camera and machine vision-based systems effectively monitor the Red Zone. They can tell the area authority if — and how many — people are in it. A wearable goes further: it identifies the specific role of the individual and closes the loop by instantly and personally alerting the person at risk, the moment they breach a zone without authorization.

This means the wearable does real work. Identifying individual crew roles enables role-based authorization — not just a headcount limit, but adherence to “job by design” methodologies which mandate both absolute numbers and specific role authorizations for different drill floor operations.

It also changes who gets warned, and when. Optical-only systems raise the alarm outward — to the area authority, to the whole drill floor. A wearable also raises it inward, straight to the person who’s actually at risk —  the one infringing the zone. One tells the room someone’s in danger. The other also tells the person, in the moment, while they can still do something about it — step back, clear the line of fire, avoid the incident altogether before it escalates rather than review it after the event at a toolbox talk.

Together, role identity and a direct personal alert make optical plus wearables a materially stronger safety and compliance position than visual detection alone.

For some applications, the case against wearables is stronger

Not every operation is complex enough to need a wearable on every crew member, every visitor, and every third-party contractor who steps onto the drill floor. Not every drilling contractor or operator wants the overhead of managing wearables across a rotating crew.

Sometimes what’s needed is simply a visual system that continually tracks personnel and alerts the area authority in the event of a zone violation — eyes on the drill floor that don’t blink.

That's where HaloGuard® stands on its own

HaloGuard vision-only systems track personnel and equipment using optical ranging cameras and AI machine vision — no wearable required. Digital barriers secure high-risk zones to essential personnel only; any unauthorised breach triggers an instant alert to the area authority.

The hardware is built to make that simple to run. By combining HD and Time of Flight cameras into a single Orb, HaloGuard vision-only delivers higher accuracy with fewer units than a typical optical-only setup — less cabling, less install time, less to maintain.

That’s not a downgrade from the HaloGuard plus wearables system — it’s a different, complete answer for applications where the wearable’s added overhead isn’t justified.

The honest trade-off

A pure optical-only system won’t allow role-based authorizations or identify who breached the zone, and it can’t deliver the direct and personal “tap on the shoulder” to the crew member at risk the way a wearable can. If your operation genuinely needs that layer of protection, the complete HaloGuard plus wearable solution is the answer.

But if what you need first is reliable, always-on detection — a system that monitors the zone continuously, alerts the moment someone enters the Red Zone, tracks the number of persons present, and flags anyone in the line of fire of energised, moving equipment — HaloGuard vision-only does that alone. No wearables, no problem.

Proven at scale

Salunda’s Red Zone monitoring solutions — with and without wearables — are deployed across 40+ assets globally, from intervention vessels to dual-activity drillships, proven to enhance operational oversight, situational awareness, crew safety, and operational efficiency.

Your operation, your choice

Talk with our experts. We’ll get into the detail of your operations and your specific requirements and tell you honestly whether HaloGuard vision-only — or HaloGuard plus wearables — is the best fit.

Start your Red Zone journey where your operation actually is. Add the wearable layer when, and if, you need role identity and a direct personal alert.

Your Red Zone gets protected either way.

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Optical Red Zone monitoring

HaloGuard leverages optical ranging cameras and AI machine vision technology to precisely track equipment and personnel in monitored areas.

Used standalone – or in combination with Crew Hawk – HaloGuard boosts crew safety and operational efficiency

More info

Wireless Red zone monitoring

Crew Hawk employs advanced radio frequency technology to track the location of crew and equipment within designated areas.

Used standalone – or in combination with HaloGuard – Crew Hawk enhances operational oversight and situational awareness.

More info

Fingerboard latch monitoring

More info

Latch Hawk is a fingerboard monitoring solution, which actively monitors the real-time status of latches and other safety-critical equipment, eliminating the need for a spotter or camera.

It also delivers the data-driven insights required to deliver significant improvements in fingerboard performance and reliability.

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Optical / AI

  • Optical ranging & machine vision
  • High definition and time of flight cameras in single Orb
  • Exact crew location measurement
  • Unaffected by situational factors
  • Fewer units than 2D only systems