According to Francois Germain, head of digital innovation for refining and chemicals for TOTAL, nothing replaces field presence.
Simultaneously, Germain recognized that utilizing digital tools, including data intelligence and robotics, provides a number of potential benefits for workers' HS&E.
"These tools change the way we communicate," Germain said.
Outlining these benefits, Germain explained that digital tools enable the workforce to more easily change their methods. Furthermore, adaptive HS&E planning and improved situational planning become more fluid, allowing individuals to better navigate continuous learning systems and become more self-aware.
Digital applications take the form of many tools, Germain said. The connected helmet, for example, provides remote assistance and "has very good command recognition and noise cancellation."
Another example is the huddle board, a sports-inspired name, which enhances daily ritual meetings, aligns goals, promotes communication and empowers the workforce, Germain explained.
According to Germain, the safety huddle board monitors and reduces near misses using safety observation tracking. It also displays a per-day count and month-end targets, as well as the last several anomalies entered.
Germain also pointed to the effectiveness of virtual reality training, including crisis training, as a vital digital tool. His company relies heavily on TOTAL Industrial Mobility (TIM) applications, which greatly enhance the industrial mobility of operators in the field.
"The entire TIM system has been designed to boost operational performance and improve the safety of people and assets," Germain said.
Deployed to more than 2,000 TOTAL users at as many as 50 industrial sites in 15 countries, the TIM app provides in-hand information that enhances safety, reduces costs, modernizes work processes and increases efficiency.
"The TIM portfolio consists of more than 15 applications focused per domain/ activity," Germain said. "The objective is that one operator uses a maximum of four to five applications, with those apps pertaining to various forms, valves, safety, shifts, documents and more."
In addition to enhancing safety, TIM positively impacts productivity, Germain said, increasing equipment availability, avoiding displacement, saving time during turnarounds and facilitating access to documents.
Operators who are likely already familiar with tablets and smartphones can use these devices to access a whole range of TOTAL apps, including the popular MyShift, MySafety and MyProgram apps, Germain said. These user-friendly apps help operators digitalize their tasks and share information with other employees in real time.
Specifically, the MyShift app can be used to monitor regular shift checks, with the operator inputting daily readings directly to the app. The MySafety app, Germain explained, can be used to take problem-related photos that enable viewing of field incidents so they can be resolved faster. The MyProgram apps add value to routine tasks for the people who perform them at production sites.
Lastly, TIM encourages teamwork to gather collective intelligence.
"We're constantly designing new apps to keep the TIM program on pace with user needs," Germain said.
