Remote operations
Marc Prempain
7 May 2024
Share this article
Share this article
Safety First, 安全第一, in any language this term universally states the importance of safety. At worksites worldwide, workers encounter hazards from the materials they interact with or the equipment they use. The OSH act of 1970 established the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) as an agency of the US federal government. The general duty clause of the OSH act establishes the employer’s responsibility to ensure employee safety. Health, safety, and environmental regulations establish standards and protocols to avoid injury or illness. Still, they do not completely eliminate risk, even if closely followed.
In addition to safety hazards, diseases like the recent pandemic highlight the unpredictability of health risks. While a workplace free of risk is ideal, some level of risk was unavoidable until recently. The advent of remote visual inspection and other related software has drastically reduced the potential harm workers are exposed to in a typical worksite. Remote visual inspection (RVI) allows inspectors to view the site remotely while maintaining the same inspection quality. Today, employees can connect to the worksite remotely to perform many types of inspections.
The purpose of site inspections is to prevent harm by standardizing a safe working environment. Because of this, there is a risk that inspectors will occasionally encounter sites that are not up to par. Since someone will be needed on-site to perform the recording (in many cases), the inspector should take special care to consider this person’s safety. It is essential to make sure they go into the job adequately equipped. That means ensuring equipment is in safe working order, properly training employees, and using protective equipment. When conducting site inspections, the inspector should consider the largest risks and how to reduce them using RVI. These considerations are even more critical when first transitioning to remote inspections. When it comes to hazardous environments, the bottom line is they need to be navigated with the utmost caution.
The “3D” jobs: dirty, difficult, and dangerous are some of the most hazardous work environments. To safely navigate these environments, it is vital to consider and follow rules like the OSHA standards or the International Labor Organization (ILO)’s regulations. Hazardous work environments have hard hats, steel-toe shoes, and other Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to reduce the possibility of harm. Some industries have specific requirements, such as wearing safety goggles, earplugs, or even full-body hazmat suits. Properly training employees in safety programs and protocols is a must when working in hazardous environments.
Training materials for specific hazards are available from authorities in hazardous workplace safety and health. OSHA has e-tools on its website to train employees to handle dangerous materials such as ammonia or protect themselves in specific industries like construction. More information on the ILO’s standards and safety topics are available in its online knowledge base. You could also consider establishing an internal knowledge base to organize your company-specific safety policies. ViiBE’s web app can integrate video call data, including shared documents, into its cloud-based knowledge management system. If you use RVI to conduct inspections, ViiBE can help you regularly review past inspections to ensure that safety protocol is respected. If there are any violations, you can show the video to your employee and re-train them to prevent future incidents. In the case of an accident, this visual evidence is crucial in re-evaluating safety protocols to prevent a recurrence.
The ILO considers occupations like mining, construction, and agriculture to be hazardous. Offshore oil rigs have their own unique challenges. One is the distance required for a helicopter or boat to reach the rig from the shore. If an employee is injured, a helicopter may have to fly far to get to them. Furthermore, pandemic diseases or other health hazards further increase the appeal of remote inspections for safety reasons. For these reasons, ViiBE’s video call web app has been deployed on oil rigs to conduct remote inspections.
Naturally, conditions and dangers for workers vary by country and by sector. Still, new advances in technology allow many industries to improve safety by increasing the amount of hazardous work that can be done remotely. RVI reduces machine downtime, allowing repairs to go faster and reducing the risk associated with sub-optimally operating equipment. While certain industry-specific inspections require specialized equipment, such as radiation-proof robots or borescopes, many industries can quickly adapt to remote visual inspection. Apps like ViiBE are making it easier than ever to take inspections remote. Other solutions like the StaySafe App can monitor lone workers and alert you if there is a “man down” on a construction site.
ViiBE reduces the risks and costs associated with dispatching an inspector, such as fuel cost, while also reducing CO2 emissions. In terms of safety, the company requires fewer workers on-site. It can focus its resources better on ensuring their safety. The inspector can conduct more inspections than before since they no longer have to factor in travel time. ViiBE’s solution can also work similarly for Construction and Manufacturing-related inspections. Thanks to expertise call routing, your inspector can contact an expert in an instant. They even have the option to add them to a call in progress.
ViiBE is designed from the ground up with security in mind. Ransomware attacks and other cybercrime are rapidly becoming more common. ViiBE’s WebRTC-based software adds another level of protection. Firstly, the user must ask the other caller permission to access their front camera or share their screen. Also, since it’s download-free, there is no need to install any software. Unlike screen-sharing software that requires a download, ViiBE works on any device with a camera and an internet connection.
Safe and healthy worksites are in everyone’s interest. Standards like OSHA have helped to establish a baseline of requirements to build a safer working environment. Other guidelines and best practices can provide additional protection. Still, some level of risk remains even after following even the best practices. Today, technology like ViiBE is closing this remaining gap. The benefit of RVI technology is that fewer people are needed on-site to perform tasks like inspections. ViiBE’s download-free web app is a secure and easy-to-implement solution that can work in almost any industry.
Join our newsletter to keep up to date with the latest news in the visual support industry.
Free E-book available now!