Page 46 - Occupational Health & Safety, June 2017

42
Circle 41 on card. See us at ASSE, Booth 1486
Real-time data must be acted on in the moment before the opportunity is lost forever.
Real-time data is delivered to end users immediately after it is generated. In auto safety for example, this could be turn-by-turn driving directions, EMS dispatch with the touch of a button, or an Amber Alert response with a voice command. Real-time data is needed and valued in the moment. Learning that you were sup- posed to take a left turn two hours after passing the exit isn’t help- ful. Similarly, dispatching EMS services to assist in an accident, even minutes after it happens, puts people at risk. Real-time data must be acted on in the moment before the opportunity is lost forever.
The reality is we need both types of data to stay safe. We shouldn’t have to choose between knowing in real-time about poor weather conditions and getting engine diagnostics to ensure opti- mal oil changes.
Real-time and historical data are also used in many other con- sumer applications such as home safety systems and wearable fit- ness devices. But what about gas detection programs? How are organizations leveraging historical and real-time data to keep workers safe? As with auto safety systems and services, one type of data isn’t enough for your gas detection program.
Most organizations have at least started to use historical data as part of their gas detection programs. For example, reports and documentation that demonstrate compliance with bump or cali- bration requirements are common. Historical data is required to assess your gas detection program across hazards, equipment, and people over time.
■ Hazard Management—Organizations need a detailed his- tory showing all gas alarms, when they happened, and where they occurred. Knowing which hazards exist helps build the right safety program including PPE, training policies, and work procedures. Safety leaders can study alarm trends and build graphs to make sure exposures are decreasing over time.
■ Gas Detector Management—Often required by regulatory bodies or corporate mandates, reports about equipment health con- firm gas detectors are compliant for field use. Safety leaders should be able to easily produce instrument history and records, such as sensor history and battery life, that confirm equipment health. Equipment settings and firmware should also be documented.
■ People Management—Safety leaders need to keep track of who used which instruments, when, and where. User history dem- onstrates that all workers had the proper gas detectors.
Real-time data for gas detection is emerging as a top require- ment for gas detection programs. Challenges getting data in real time are being solved with the ubiquity of Wi-Fi, cell, and satellite networks. But it is very difficult to understand what data is needed in real time. Real-time data from safety systems is voluminous— vehicle data, lone worker data, gas data, GIS data, and biometric data are just a few sources. All of these could potentially be relevant in a gas detection program. However, in an emergency situation, a supervisor doesn’t want to be inundated with real-time alerts, just the data that is actionable and meaningful in the moment.
Talking with customers across continents in industries span- ning oil and gas, wastewater treatment, and manufacturing, three real-time data points emerged as essential:
www.ohsonline.com
IH/GAS DETECTION