Total Safety earns âNew Technology Development of the Yearâ
When it comes to safety in the oil and gas industry, there is no time to sit on your laurels. Technology sets a fast pace for change, and all companies must continue to advance their skills and technologies to remain competitive while ensuring the safest environment for workers and the community.
As one of the worldâs premier providers of industrial inspection and integrated safety solutions, Total Safety faces even greater scrutiny and pressure to consistently advance safe practices to meet todayâs economic challenges in industry. And it is todayâs challenging economy that made the investment in these technical advances worthwhile for Total Safety in 2016, knowing it would save lives, money and resources for its customers at a time when that equation means the most.
A pioneering but controversial move
In early 2015, while the press was still embroiled in debate over the pros and cons of drones, Total Safety made big news when it became one of just 24 companies approved by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration to use unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for commercial purposes. Total Safety had the foresight to be first in oil and gas to employ drones to inspect flare stacks, which typically burn at more than 2,000 F and would otherwise require interruption of operations or manned aircraft to enable inspection.
âOur use of drones to inspect flare stacks was well-timed,â said David Garcia, general manager of Total Safety Flares Services. âIt unquestionably was safer and a lot less expensive than manned alternatives, so we very quickly began to prepare this solution and roll it out in upstream and midstream for rig inspection, pipeline inspection and offshore flare inspection. These services were launched in 2016.â
Critical, cost-saving addition
Total Safety is now leveraging worldclass aviation and UAV flight expertise to add this safe and economical aerial perspective to its compliance inspection solutions offshore and onshore at drilling rigs, production rigs, pipelines, tank batteries, transfer stations, plants, refineries and manufacturing environments.
âAn added benefit of using this advanced technology that is built into our UAVs is that it dramatically enhances the data obtained from inspections, surveys, and mapping for compliance, engineering and construction,â said Total Safety Senior Vice President of Business Development Darrell Whitley.
Enhanced data, Whitley explained, reduces liability; increases safety; reduces manpower; improves analysis of mechanical and structural integrity; provides georeferenced, time-stamped records for regulatory compliance; and facilitates timely variance and anomaly analysis.
Advanced remote technologies to inner space
It is well-known in the industry that Total Safety introduced the first centralized confined space monitoring (CCSM) systems in the industry, and the company continues to advance this technology.
âOne of the newest features we added this year to CCSM falls under the category of thermal energy surveillance,â said Binu Joy, Total Safetyâs director of product management. âOur latest thermal camera technology can now detect even the earliest indications of fire. This critical new early warning system is in use on a project now and will be deployed to other confined projects globally.â
Joy said another important CCSM rollout over the past year has been the bodycam system. âFrom an efficiency standpoint, bodycams are an excellent way to have experts guide inspections, repairs and other services for multiple complicated repair and construction projects,â he said. âUsing this technology, the expert can speak directly with the technician through the bodycam system, while seeing and recording the action firsthand.â
From a safety standpoint, bodycams also provide a higher level of security for lone workers in confined spaces and can help remote emergency medical technicians render first aid, he added.
Binu pointed to other life-saving advances over the past year, including improved two-way communications for confined spaces and gas detection enhancements that allow Total Safety to detect more gases in confined spaces than anyone else on the market.
Smart Compressor breathing air solution
In 2016, Total Safety successfully rolled out its second-generation Smart Compressor technology, an innovative replacement for traditional breathing air systems used in processing and chemical plants as well as other industrial facilities.
Total Safety originally introduced the Smart Compressor systems with remote monitoring in 2015, as an added feature for clients already using its exclusive technologies for producing high-volume, low-pressure Grade D breathing air on-site.
Many clients had been replacing traditional bottle-type breathing air services with high volume low pressure, Air Cobra⢠or custom fixed-air services. Building on the mobile Air Cobra⢠platform, Smart Compressors feature the latest gas detection and wireless technologies to monitor multiple systems simultaneously.
Smart Compressorâs remote monitoring capabilities prove to dramatically improve the working atmosphere, reduce off-line time, increase efficiencies, improve utilization, reduce manpower, reduce plant traffic, reduce hardware, and centralize and standardize safety services.
âOur Smart Compressor technology changes the way breathing air is provided to our customers,â said Joy. âWe have listened to the needs of plant managers and incorporated the very best technologies on the market to ensure workers are getting the highest-quality Grade D breathing air and all data is gathered, monitored, addressed and retained in real time.â
Total Safety has already used its second-generation Smart Compressors at numerous customer sites, and all have reported great satisfaction with the performance of the system.
Active listening, customer-first approach
Total Safety never stops listening to its customersâ needs and exploring new ways to meet those challenges. Whether testing to help customers find safer welding habitats, fire foams that stay active in heat and transport, or detection devices that communicate the status of unmanned facilities, the Total Safety teams are always moving toward safer, more efficient solutions.
In 2016, Total Safety improved storage of video imaging for all confined spaces through redundant-network attached storage drives. These new drives can now store images locally to ensure a transmission interruption will not cause a loss of camera footage.
And on the software development front, Total Safetyâs Z-Monitoring Suite received the added capabilities of checking for appropriate personal protective equipment for all workers entering a confined space, real-time incident and safety reporting, and measuring command center engagement during operations.
Now more than ever, Total Safety understands the critical nature of ensuring a safe and efficient work environment for all its customers.
For more information, visit www.totalsafety.com or call (888) 328-6825.
