In the world of industrial safety, few things are more critical than knowing exactly where your people are during an emergency. In high-risk sectors such as oil and gas, cement manufacturing, and offshore platforms, traditional mustering systems — particularly card-based muster point tracking — have become outdated, error-prone, and dangerously slow.
Canadian Info Tech (CIT) recognized this gap and developed a forward-thinking, cost-effective, and globally deployable solution to transform how organizations account for personnel in emergency situations.
The Problem with Card-Based Muster Points
Card-based mustering relies on employees physically moving to pre-assigned muster points and swiping ID cards or manually checking in. While this method may have sufficed decades ago, it's fundamentally flawed in today’s fast-paced, high-risk operational environments:
- It’s slow – In the event of a fire, explosion, or toxic release, seconds matter. Manual check-ins waste valuable time.
- It’s limited – Employees outside the facility (e.g., in transit, on break, or working in another zone) can’t be accounted for quickly.
- It’s error-prone – Cards can be forgotten, damaged, or left behind. In a real emergency, mustering compliance drops drastically.
- It’s infrastructure-dependent – Muster points can become inaccessible during incidents, further delaying accurate headcounts.
Senior system designers at CIT identified these limitations and committed to creating a solution that solves every major challenge without introducing new complexity.
The Vision: Smarter Mustering for Safer Workplaces
CIT’s vision wasn’t just to replace cards with another device — it was to completely rethink what mustering should be in a digital, mobile-first, globally connected world.
They asked the tough questions upfront:
- What if an employee is outside the muster zone when an incident occurs?
- What if power is down and batteries are drained?
- What if hazardous conditions make carrying a device risky or impractical?
- What if the system needs to scale across multiple international locations?
The result is a cutting-edge electronic mustering system that eliminates physical muster points, removes the dependency on specific hardware, and introduces a fast, flexible, and fail-safe way to report location, request help, and coordinate emergency response — from anywhere.
10 Challenges Solved — One Seamless System
Here’s how Canadian Info Tech tackled every major challenge companies face with traditional mustering:
1. Cost-Effective Design
CIT understood that the solution had to be scalable without breaking budgets. Instead of requiring proprietary hardware or RFID readers, the system is designed around low-cost, passive technologies such as QR codes and smartphones — which most employees already carry.
2. No Batteries or Charging
Traditional devices require power. CIT’s solution does not. By leveraging passive components (like printed codes or NFC tags), the system requires zero charging cycles, meaning there’s no risk of failure due to battery drain.
3. No Device to Forget
Since the solution doesn’t rely on a dedicated gadget, there’s nothing to forget, misplace, or leave behind. Employees can check in using any internet-connected device — smartphone, tablet, or even a shared terminal.
4. Zone-Ready for Hazardous Areas
The solution is safe for Zone 1 and Zone 2 hazardous environments. QR codes and NFC stickers require no power source, emit no signals, and are intrinsically safe, making them fully compliant with safety regulations.
5. Device-Independent
Unlike traditional systems that rely on a single device model, the CIT solution is completely platform-agnostic. It works on Android, iOS, laptops, or even shared workstations.
6. Globally Functional
As long as there's internet access — whether via satellite, LTE, or Wi-Fi — the system works anywhere in the world. This makes it ideal for offshore rigs, desert plants, and remote facilities where traditional infrastructure is minimal.
7. Lightweight & Easy to Carry
With no special hardware to wear or charge, employees simply use what they already have. For workers without phones, stickers can be scanned by colleagues or supervisors, ensuring coverage without friction.
8. Flexible & Scalable
The platform was built to grow with the organization. Whether a company has 100 employees in one plant or 10,000 across 30 sites, the system adapts. Additional QR zones, role-based alerts, and integrations can be added at any time.
9. Backward Compatible
CIT understands that many companies have already invested in older mustering systems. Their solution is designed to be backward compatible, meaning it can complement or gradually replace older systems during a transition period.
10. Man Down Reporting
In an emergency, response time is everything. The system enables employees or witnesses to immediately report “man down” incidents, complete with GPS location and timestamp. This data is sent to the response team in real time, improving intervention speed and saving lives.
How It Works: Fast, Simple, Reliable
When the emergency siren is triggered or a drill is initiated:
- Employees scan a QR code — located throughout the facility or carried with them — using any smartphone or terminal.
- The system records their GPS location, time, and zone.
- If an employee needs help, they click a “Request Assistance” button, marking their location for response teams.
- Supervisors and HSE personnel can view a live dashboard showing everyone’s status, location, and response actions.
- Reports are instantly available for audits, drills, or incident documentation.
No cables. No installations. No delays.
Real-World Impact
One of CIT’s early adopters — a major cement plant — had long struggled with manual mustering during drills and heat-related false alarms. In their old system, it took 15–25 minutes to get a headcount and verify missing employees.
After deploying CIT’s solution, the same task now takes under 3 minutes, with location data, alerts, and response instructions displayed in real-time. The solution has been praised for its speed, simplicity, and peace of mind — not only during incidents, but also during routine drills.
The Bigger Picture: Beyond Mustering
While designed initially as a mustering solution, the platform’s flexibility allows it to serve broader safety and operational purposes:
- Visitor Management – Visitors scan in and out without needing hardware or escort cards.
- Contractor Tracking – Temporary workers are monitored without issuing devices.
- Remote Team Status Reporting – Employees working from off-site or across the globe can check in during emergencies or drills.
- Disaster Response – Mustering data integrates into broader emergency systems, supporting coordinated evacuations and zone lockdowns.
The Future of Mustering is Here
Canadian Info Tech has proven that emergency response systems don’t have to be bulky, expensive, or outdated. By combining passive technology, device flexibility, and real-time cloud infrastructure, they’ve built a system that makes traditional muster points obsolete.
In today’s industrial environment, real-time awareness, global accessibility, and fail-safe design aren’t luxuries — they’re necessities. With its innovative mustering solution, CIT delivers all three, while also reducing cost and complexity.
About Canadian Info Tech
Founded in 2015, Canadian Info Tech (CIT) is a Dubai-based technology company with over 50 years of combined experience in industrial automation, safety systems, and custom software development. Known for its innovative thinking and real-world problem solving, CIT serves major clients across oil & gas, cement, power, and offshore industries.
From fire suppression and access control to disaster recovery and remote connectivity — CIT builds solutions that work when everything else fails.
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