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Industrial plant operators and owners bear the responsibility to provide health and safety protections for workers in the plants and in the field. This includes strict procedures to protect workers in confined spaces, including a worker(s) assigned to the continuous hole watch of the workers, which consists of the visual watch and radio communication with the workers in the confined space. Confined spaces include distillation towers, storage tanks, boilers, stacks and other equipment constructed of thick steel which Wi-Fi and cellular signals cannot penetrate.
The good news is there are now best-in-class, reliable solutions to provide real-time connected worker monitoring, even in hazardous areas. Connected workers are armed with Class 1, Division 1, Zone 1 (C1D1Z1) intrinsically safe wearable sensors for monitoring their health vital signs and atmospheric gases including heart rate, respiratory rate, skin temperature, estimated core body temperature, movement, accelerometer, body position, O2, CO, H2S, NO2 and SO2.
Mobile communication devices
The C1D1Z1 mobile communication devices synch to the wearable sensors and transmit the data to a private, secure Wi-Fi network and HIPAA-compliant servers to yield real-time monitoring of the connected workers while they are working in the plant, inside process equipment and in the field. The hole watch, the safety manager, the control room operators and more can monitor the data and live alerts on the health status of the workers and the gas levels in the area from tablets and computers. This real-time connected worker monitoring provides insights and alerts that are needed to act quickly and respond before emergencies become injuries, hospitalizations or fatalities.
The C1D1Z1 mobile communication devices include IoT hubs, tablets and dual-radio access points/high performance repeaters. The communication network has large antennas and cellular routers that can reach cell towers up to 30 miles away and cast a secure Wi-Fi bubble of approximately 1,200 feet for 30+ workers simultaneously.
Reasons for consideration
Real-time monitoring of workers armed with wearable sensors for health vital signs and atmospheric gases in the plants, inside process equipment and in the field is a significant safety capability for industrial plant operators to consider deploying. Herein are reasons for plant owners and operators to consider this.
As temperatures rise, the risks associated with heat-related illnesses, hospitalizations and fatalities of industrial workers increase. Climate change is impacting temperatures causing hotter days and nights, which puts extra stress on workers. The problem is likely to get worse. Workers in plants and in the field have the potential to be exposed to extreme heat conditions, particularly along the Gulf Coast and in west Texas and Oklahoma. These workers perform physically demanding outdoor work during 12-hour shifts, increasing the potential for exposure to heat stress conditions. Workers inside distillation towers, storage tanks, boilers, stacks and other equipment face even harsher heat conditions given the required PPE and higher temperatures inside the equipment.
Prior to entering confined spaces, air sampling and monitoring are conducted to ensure safe entry for the workers. Given the size and heights of distillation towers, storage tanks, boilers, stacks and more, the air quality at the point of entry may very well be different than in other areas of the process vessels. Wearable gas monitor sensors allow for real-time monitoring of gases and their levels while workers are inside confined spaces.
Failure to recognize and appropriately respond to signs and symptoms of heat stress and hazardous gases and their corresponding levels has a direct impact on the outcome of potential emergency situations. With real-time connected worker health and air quality monitoring, potential illnesses, hospitalizations and fatalities of industrial workers are preventable. This should be reason enough to bear the cost of wearable sensors, IOT hubs, tablets, dual-radio access points/repeaters and communication networks. However, industrial plant operators and owners are tasked with protecting the health and safety of workers while improving productivity and cutting costs.
Cutting costs
Regarding cutting costs, there is more good news. The procurement and implementation of safe and reliable solutions to provide connected worker monitoring has a significant return on investment. The return comes with a significant lowering of insurance liability costs linked to the improved risks associated with the enhanced health and safety monitoring of the workers. The insurance cost savings should more than pay for the costs of protecting the health and safety of workers.
Another cost-cutting impact of utilizing the same IoT hubs, tablets, dual-radio access points/repeaters and communication networks is improved operations, maintenance and communications in the plant and in the field. The mobile devices can be used to conduct operations and maintenance workflows, checklists, procedures, thermal scans, training, etc., more effectively and efficiently. The communication networks connect workers to their tasks and enable real-time video and voice communications and data transfers thereby improving productivity.
So, why not just use mobile hotspots and save the costs associated with acquiring the IoT hubs, tablets, dual-radio access points/repeaters and communication networks? First, mobile devices such as cell phones operate on a single band instead of dual-band devices and networks in the best-in-class solutions. Mobile devices have tiny internal antennas that can reach cell towers a mile away. Communication networks have large antennas that can reach cell towers up to 30 miles away. Dual-radio access points/repeaters further extend the range of the Wi-Fi bubble network inside process vessels. Bandwidth, antenna size and Wi-Fi bubble network size matter when streaming real-time video, voice and data.
Protecting workers with advanced tech
Ensuring the health and safety of workers in industrial plants and in the field is paramount. C1D1Z1 industrial mobility devices and communication networks provide real-time monitoring of workers armed with wearable sensors for health vital signs and atmospheric gases in the plants, inside process equipment, e.g., distillation towers, storage tanks, boilers, etc. and in the field. Best-in-class real-time monitoring and communication networks are a reality for workers in hazardous environments. The return on investment comes with lower safety risks, improved productivity and plant-wide, secure communication networks.
For more information, visit cs2inc.com.
