Patent Number: 
Section: claims

1. A system comprising:an article of personal protection equipment (PPE) that can be worn by a user, and at least one component coupled to the article of PPE;a smart tag coupled to the at least one component or the article of PPE;a computing device comprising one or more computer processors and a memory that further comprises instructions that when executed by the one or more computer processors cause the one or more computer processors to:receive sensed data about a working environment using one or more sensors, the sensed data being sensed apart from the component and prior to actually using the component in the working environment;determine a duration of usage of the component based on tracked data received from the smart tag; anddetermine a condition of the component by comparing the duration of usage of the component to at least one predetermined criterion, wherein the predetermined criterion is based at least in part on the sensed data about hazardous materials in the working environment and on a service life of the component. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions that cause the one or more computer processors to determine the condition of the component further comprise instructions that when executed by the one or more computer processors cause the one or more computer processors to determine the condition of the component based at least in part on additional data corresponding to the user from the smart tag that indicates at least one of identity, medical, fit test, job description, seniority, training, or qualification information of the user. 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the tracked data indicates at least one of: an entry time when the user entered the working environment, an exit time when the user exited the working environment, an entry location where the user entered the working environment, an exit location where the user exited the working environment, a type of personal protection equipment or type of component, historical information relating to the article of PPE or component, an identifier of the user, a location where the article of PPE was used, a condition under which the article of PPE was used, maintenance performed on the article of PPE, a requirement for using the article of PPE, or a description of the working environment. 4. The system of claim 1 further comprising at least one smart tag scanner configured to read the smart tag, wherein to determine a duration of usage of the component, the at least one smart tag scanner is communicatively coupled to the computing device and configured to receive the tracked data from the smart tag and send the tracked data to the computing device. 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions that cause the one or more computer processors to determine the condition of the component by comparing the duration of usage of the component to at least one predetermined criterion further comprise instructions that determine whether the duration of usage of the component exceeds the service life of the component. 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the memory further comprises instructions that when executed by the one or more computer processors cause the one or more computer processors to output a notification that the at least one predetermined criterion has been satisfied. 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the memory further comprises instructions that when executed by the one or more computer processors cause the one or more computer processors to perform, based on the determination of the condition of the component, one or more operations. 8. A method comprising:providing at least one component coupled to an article of PPE that can be worn by a user;providing a smart tag coupled to at least the component or the article of PPE;receiving sensed data about a working environment using one or more sensors, the sensed data being sensed apart from the component and prior to actually using the component in the working environment;determining a duration of usage of the component based on tracked data received from the smart tag; anddetermining, by a computing device, a condition of the component by comparing the duration of usage of the component to at least one predetermined criterion, wherein the predetermined criterion is based at least in part on the sensed data about hazardous materials in the working environment and on a service life of the component. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein determining the condition of the component further comprises determining the condition of the component based at least in part on additional data corresponding to the user from the smart tag that indicates at least one of identity, medical, fit test, job description, seniority, training, or qualification information of the user. 10. The method of claim 8, wherein the tracked data indicates at least one of: an entry time when the user entered the working environment, an exit time when the user exited the working environment, an entry location where the user entered the working environment, an exit location where the user exited the working environment, a type of personal protection equipment or type of component, historical information relating to the article of PPE or component, an identifier of the user, a location where the article of PPE was used, a condition under which the article of PPE was used, maintenance performed on the article of PPE, a requirement for using the article of PPE, or a description of the working environment. 11. The method of claim 8, wherein at least one smart tag scanner is configured to read the smart tag, wherein determining a duration of usage of the component further comprises: receiving, by the computing device and from the at least one smart tag scanner communicatively coupled to the computing device, the tracked data from the smart tag. 12. The method of claim 8, wherein determining the condition of the component by comparing the duration of usage to at least one predetermined criterion further comprises determining whether the duration of usage of the component exceeds the service life of the component. 13. The method of claim 8, further comprising outputting a notification that the at least one predetermined criterion has been satisfied. 14. A computing device comprising:one or more computer processors; anda memory comprising instructions that when executed by the one or more computer processors cause the one or more computer processors to:receive sensed data about the working environment from one or more sensors, the sensed data being sensed apart from a component coupled to an article of PPE that can be worn by a user and prior to actually using the component in the working environment, wherein a smart tag is coupled to at least the component or the article of PPE;determine a duration of usage of the component based on tracked data received from the smart tag; anddetermine a condition of the component by comparing the duration of usage of the component to at least one predetermined criterion, wherein the predetermined criterion is based at least in part on the sensed data about hazardous materials in the working environment and on a service life of the component. 15. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the memory comprises instructions that when executed by the one or more computer processors cause the one or more computer processors to determine the condition of the component based at least in part on additional data corresponding to the user from the smart tag that indicates at least one of identity, medical, fit test, job description, seniority, training, or qualification information of the user. 16. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the tracked data indicates at least one of: an entry time when the user entered the working environment, an exit time when the user exited the working environment, an entry location where the user entered the working environment, an exit location where the user exited the working environment, a type of personal protection equipment or type of component, historical information relating to the article of PPE or component, an identifier of the user, a location where the article of PPE was used, a condition under which the article of PPE was used, maintenance performed on the article of PPE, a requirement for using the article of PPE, or a description of the working environment. 17. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the memory comprises instructions that when executed by the one or more computer processors cause the one or more computer processors to receive, from at least one smart tag scanner communicatively coupled to the computing device, the tracked data from the smart tag. 18. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the memory comprises instructions that when executed by the one or more computer processors cause the one or more computer processors to determine whether the duration of usage of the component exceeds the service life of the component. 19. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the memory comprises instructions that when executed by the one or more computer processors cause the one or more computer processors to output a notification that the at least one predetermined criterion has been satisfied. 20. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the memory comprises instructions that when executed by the one or more computer processors cause the one or more computer processors to perform, based on the determination of the condition of the component, one or more operations.