The oil and gas industry is known as the lifeblood of the world economy. Although being the biggest source of commercial energy for industrialized nations, the oil and gas sector is infamous for its complex and high-risk work conditions! Aside from all the plausible factors such as human error and miscommunication, there is also an element of risk associated with the very nature of the work itself.
Blending RFID With Oil And Gas
In any potentially hazardous environment, the key to safety lies in the business’s ability to be able to respond to an emergency quickly and effectively. Technologies that facilitate real-time monitoring of resources – both people and material – are being employed at dangerous oil and gas platforms or vessels. Constant monitoring of assets helps set off an immediate response to threats since the safety and security of resources is paramount to business success. Ensuring both worker safety and maximizing operational efficiency comes with accurate identification, locating, and securing your workforce across diverse locations.
An active RFID tag can be attached to the workers’ dress or can be easily worn on their wrist. It is used to perform versatile functions in the circumstances concerning restriction of access, real-time movement monitoring, seamless interactions between operators and each area’s control system. The technology also facilitates sending out alerts and receiving response or SOS to and from the workers, or even amongst workers and operators, in distress!
Some of the areas where employing RFID technology can be effective include:
Personnel Accountability
In the event of an emergency or disaster, an RFID solution can provide real-time location of your workforce so as to ensure safe and speedy evacuations. During the course, the software automatically accounts for personnel and can even identify each and every individual wearing the active tag at mustering locations.
Personnel Distress
The latest RFID technology facilitates two-way communication, which means a worker can raise emergency or panic alarms and can send for assistance. When a worker presses the duress button on his RFID tag, he immediately receives a confirmation alert that his SOS message has been received and that assistance will arrive shortly.
Fall Alert
Equipping your resources, both personnel and equipment, with active RFID tags allows you to ensure their security at all times. Active RFID tags with smart motion sensors can detect an accidental fall of the tagged person or object and initiate a prompt first response.
Monitoring Access Authority
An RFID system can proactively assess every person moving between floatels and platforms, or into a highly dangerous zone and helps ensure that they are authorized. It can even check for the person’s competency, certification, and the safety equipment worn to ascertain whether or not they must be admitted to such areas.
Exposure To Hazardous Conditions
RFID technology acts as a constant watchdog for your employees by monitoring the hours spent within the hazardous areas of the facility. This allows you to control prolonged exposure of personnel and ensure that safe limits are not exceeded on any day!
Process Evaluations And Improvements
The greatest challenge for an organization is to track their personnel (especially the ones on the rig) and equipment movement in real-time! The RFID system is designed to resolve this problem! It delivers fast and accurate readings of your resources moving around the premises without interrupting the process or holding-up your people! Furthermore, studying the information received on your personnel and equipment movement in every-day operations also opens an opportunity to determine changes for enhancing the overall process efficiency.
Ensuring All-Time Availability Of Safety Equipment
It is the responsibility of all oil and gas companies to maintain an optimal supply of critical emergency equipment to efficiently respond to an emergency or execute operations in hazardous areas. Putting the right RFID solution in place enables you to ensure that emergency equipment is available at all times. It sends out a warning signal for you to replenish your stock if the emergency resources fall below the set limit.
Real-Time Equipment Tracking And Prompt Location Tracking
The RFID technology gives you constant and real-time visibility of your entire inventory and its movement across different zones. It can also gather details pertaining to equipment utilization, allowing you to fulfill accounting obligations appropriately. RFID tags also enable personnel to locate equipment when required quickly. This ensures time saved in responding to critical conditions or emergencies as well as timely and efficient execution of processes. You can even monitor an unauthorized movement of an RFID tagged piece of equipment and other important assets and also prevent loss!