AirGuard is a next-generation portable breathing air system that meets NFPA and OSHA Grade D breathing air requirements.

As monitoring companies take advantage of new video technology and grow their businesses to include video monitoring services, it is important to understand that there is a significant difference between installing a video system and a monitoring-ready video system.

AVS-01 standardizes a classification metric for unauthorized human activity detected by alarm systems, helping law enforcement allocate resources and response prioritization. 

Also known as Video Monitoring-as-a-Service (VMaaS) or remote guarding, the idea is to deter criminals via voice-down. Maybe video can even replace a traditional alarm system.

Subject matter experts from the central station and automation software marketplace address some of the best approaches that security dealers and integrators can follow to up their remote video monitoring game.

Remote video monitoring is not a new concept. And while its application has remained for the most part limited and narrow in scope for years, its trajectory is on the cusp of spiking.

Technology advances, staffing shortages and other influences, are reshaping the traditional guarding and monitoring industries concurrently.

Mark McCall, Chair of the TMA AVS-01 Committee, explains the collaborative effort between the alarm industry and public safety professionals and how the new standard aims to refine alarm notifications and the quality of alarm information.

David Holl speaks to executives from monitoring centers and emergency communication centers about their involvement in the initial pilot programs for the AVS-01 standard.

Monitoring center executives and managers have a lot to express about the endless work that goes into keeping their call centers staffed with the best talent possible.

Top central station executives illuminate the art of recruiting, onboarding and retaining exceptional talent. Plus, they share their views on remote work policies.

SDM spoke with the 2023 TMA Monitoring Center Manager of the Year. Ayala is the director of operations at Rapid Response Monitoring Services.

Washington – The number of pilots involved in fatal crashes who tested positive for potentially impairing drugs has nearly doubled in a 23-year span, according to a report from the National Transportation Safety Board.

Washington – The National Transportation Safety Board has released two safety alerts and a pair of videos cautioning airline pilots and mechanics about the dangers of carbon monoxide emissions.

Washington — Labor Secretary Marty Walsh has appointed four members to OSHA’s National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health.

Bowling Green, KY — Leadership training and organizational support may help bolster the well-being and careers of women in safety leadership positions, according to a researcher from Western Kentucky University.

Greenbelt, MD — Every day for the past several years, Brian McQueen has felt the left side of his neck and wondered if his non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma will return.

Washington – OSHA will not issue citations to employers whose monorail hoists fail to comply with requirements in the Crane and Derricks in Construction Standard – as long as they adhere to other regulations, the agency announced in a recent memorandum.

Villejuif, France – Frequent use of workplace disinfectants may increase health care workers’ risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, suggest researchers from France’s National Institute of Health and Medical Research.

Washington – Adults with occupational asthma face a higher risk of developing pneumococcal disease, but only 54 percent of them are vaccinated to help ward off an infection, according to a new study from NIOSH.

San Diego — More than 4,600 coal miners have developed the most severe form of black lung disease since 1970, with nearly half of the cases emerging after 2000, according to a recent study from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Washington — Incomplete initiatives aimed at improving employer reporting of injuries are among the top management and performance challenges facing OSHA and the Mine Safety and Health Administration, according to a Department of Labor Office of Inspector General report released in November.

Washington — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning of “an emerging public health threat” after researchers identified an increase in cases of silicosis – an incurable lung disease – among workers who handle engineered stone used to make household countertops.

Villejuif, France — Frequent use of common cleaning products and disinfectants at work may increase female nurses’ risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease by up to 38%, results of a recent study led by researchers from France’s National Institute of Health and Medical Research suggest.

Charlottesville, VA — Coal miners with black lung disease commonly face various mental health issues, including thoughts of suicide, results of a recent study conducted by researchers from the University of Virginia show.

Ann Arbor, MI — Around 3 out of 4 workers have kept quiet when they’ve had an illness that could infect their co-workers, according to a recent study.

2017 was a good year for the economy — and manufacturers, dealers and integrators definitely felt the positive impact of these trends.

Doomsday didn’t happen. For all the concern many security dealers have shown in recent years — particularly about the rapidly changing residential market — all indicators seem to finally point to what was always the hope in the midst of the fear: that all the new entrants, technologies and business models would start to grow the pie for all.

Security professionals reveal their thoughts on the security, monitoring and smart home markets.

The security industry looks to the SDM 100 — a group of 100 of the largest security companies ranked by their recurring monthly revenue — as a wellspring of industry trends and operational best practices. So, which manufacturers and distributors are behind the SDM 100, supporting them with the products, solutions and services that have helped make them successful?

The security industry looks to the SDM 100 — a group of the 100 largest security companies ranked by their recurring monthly revenue (RMR) — as a wellspring of industry trends and operational best practices. So, which manufacturers and distributors are behind the SDM 100, supporting them with the products, solutions and services that help make them successful?

The top manufacturers and distributors used by SDM 100 dealers.

Arlington, VA – A new safety initiative from the Mine Safety and Health Administration aims to protect miners at a time of the year when they need it most.

Arlington, VA – The Mine Safety and Health Administration is calling for increased focus on safety during April, one of the deadliest months of the year for the mining industry.

Washington — NIOSH has unveiled a beta version of an online software tool designed to provide post-shift assessments of mine worker exposure to respirable crystalline silica.

Washington — NIOSH has finalized the beta version of an online software tool designed to provide post-shift assessments of mine worker exposure to respirable crystalline silica.

Ascent Capital Group announced that its primary operating subsidiary, Monitronics International Inc., established a deal to acquire Security Networks for a total transaction price of $507.5 million.

Houston – Vietnam War veterans who were exposed to the herbicide Agent Orange may have an increased risk of developing skin cancer, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Washington – U.S. service members deployed to the Middle East may be facing occupational health risks due to a lack of health monitoring and flaws in the Department of Defense’s multiple data storage systems, according to a Government Accountability Office report released June 22.

Maywood, IL — Chest muscle tears caused by weightlifting were treated at an “alarming frequency” in 2013 and 2014 at one armed forces hospital overseas, according to a recent study conducted by military surgeons.

A new online toolkit offers guidance on increasing flu vaccination coverage among workers in long-term health care facilities.

A follow-up – eight years later – to one of our most popular articles.

Which suppliers do the largest systems integrators use? This Top Systems Integrators brand-usage report lists the top 15 manufacturers and top 12 distributors that earn the business of the largest systems integrators in the physical security channel.

A common question we are asked is, “We work a 12-hour shift: Should I use 8 or 12 as the time duration on my noise dosimeter to calculate the time-weighted average?” Understanding how changing the time duration of a noise dosimeter sample affects the results, and how this relates to the noise standard, will help us make the best decision.

What are the latest ways to measure environmental noise?

When should I use a noise dosimeter instead of a sound level meter?

Monitoring centers are focused on improving customer contact and providing tools for ease of use and quicker response.

FieldHub and Affiliated Monitoring's partnership offers a comprehensive solution for managing operations in a single cloud-based platform.

Washington — Workplaces can play an important role in suicide prevention, researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say in a recent study.

Berkeley, CA – Recycling industry employees face “unnecessarily hazardous” conditions on the job, but those conditions can be improved, according to a report released June 23.