Confined spaces are often dangerous areas like tanks, manholes, tunnels, ditches and airplane wings. They can harbor toxic or flammable atmospheres, chemical exposure or mechanical and physical hazards such as noise, heat/cold, radiation, electrical, structural issues, falling debris, entanglement, engulfment, slips and falls.
Thorough safety inspections should identify all potential hazards before employee entry. This includes assessing regulatory compliance, certifications, equipment and emergency preparedness.
Alternative Measures
Traditional methods of carrying out inspections in confined spaces can be time-consuming, labour-intensive and costly. Inspecting a space with a ladder, rope access or scaffolding often involves clambering and climbing over equipment and machinery, which can be physically challenging and potentially very dangerous for inspectors and maintenance crew. This can result in a wide range of hazards including falling debris, being hit by moving machinery or physical fall from height.
The most efficient and cost-effective method for inspection is through the use of a collision-tolerant drone. These devices have been designed to perform tasks in confined spaces that would normally require entry and offer a range of safety features such as high-resolution cameras, thermal imaging and collision avoidance. This can significantly reduce the risk of injury or death due to asphyxiation or hazardous atmospheres. Other safety measures include isolating the space through lockout/tagout, blanking or blinding techniques, double block and bleed procedures, chaining valves and barricading entries.
Preparation
In addition to identifying hazards, safety inspections should also include steps that prepare workers to enter the space. This includes putting up clear signage and barricading entry/exit points, cleaning and purging the area of any hazardous materials, and providing the appropriate safety equipment and training for entering workers.
Another step is identifying the standby person who will be responsible for responding to any emergency situation that may arise during work in confined spaces. Additionally, a plan should be created for clearing the space of any dangerous gases and fumes.
Lastly, it is essential to document the results of any safety inspection in confined spaces and the actions taken to mitigate the risks. This will help to build trust and encourage cooperation between employees and managers. It will also allow the company to track trends in workplace safety, which can lead to further improvements in employee health and safety. Using technology to document these results can make the process more efficient and easy to manage.
Equipment
It’s important to follow strict safety protocols and use specialized equipment when working in confined spaces. The right equipment can enhance safety, increase efficiency and boost productivity in industrial environments like oil and gas.
Confined space inspection tools include simple items such as signage, radios and helmets along with more complex devices like gas monitors and manhole pumps. It’s also essential to have access and rescue systems on hand in the event of an accident.
Drones are another specialized piece of equipment that’s becoming increasingly popular for confined space inspections. They’re designed for the unique challenges of these types of environments, with features such as LED lights and corrosion resistance to handle harsh conditions.
Finally, it’s important to have a standby person on call in the event of a confined space emergency. This ensures someone will be available to enter the area and rescue a worker who’s fallen or become trapped in the space. The standby person should be familiar with all the hazards and have the proper training and equipment to respond to them.
The Basics of Industrial Drone Inspection
Using drone inspection allows for faster, more efficient and safer maintenance. It also reduces downtime, costs and liability risks.
But it is vital that the right expertise is involved when it comes to analysing data and pictures. Otherwise a mistake might be missed, with potentially fatal consequences. The best solution is a qualified and experienced inspector.
Professional inspections in confined spaces help keep workers safe. Whether the confined space is an industrial setting or a power generation facility, integrating technology into maintenance procedures reduces the need for human entry and saves time and money.
Elios 2 RAD is a radiation-sensor equipped drone developed specifically for nuclear power station inspections. The drone combines a range of features that make it stand out from other confined space inspection solutions: 3D map synchronization, POI localization and real temperature monitoring.
The Elios 2 UI provides a smooth, intuitive flight experience. The LUMICOPTER’s high-quality image sensor ensures razor-sharp images, while RockSteady EIS provides stable footage even in GPS-denied environments and beyond line of sight. Its impressive 40K lumen lighting system effectively lights up the inspection area, allowing operators to see the inspection data clearly in all conditions. 3D LiDAR mapping provides the pilot with a precise situational awareness, which significantly increases safety and confidence in the results of the inspection.
Stereoscopic stabilization
Forget about scaffolding: The drone can enter even the most narrowly confined spaces, without any risk to life or limb. The unique combination of a patented Electromagnetic tilting system and an advanced sensor array ensures stone-still stability in all environments, even in the most challenging conditions.
This not only reduces motion blur, but also allows for super-consistent footage that captures the surface at the optimum inspection distance in every single frame. The result: a more precise overview of the asset, with less need to process the data later on.
If you notice a patch of corrosion or the beginnings of a crack, simply press the dedicated controller button to add a point of interest (POI). A 4K photo is instantly location-tagged and displayed on the Scout tablet – ready for closer scrutiny. Inspecting the photo in detail reveals fine details that could otherwise be missed. The photo can be used to identify a specific area and plan a more in-depth investigation at a later date, saving time and money on revisiting the asset.
Distance measurement directly available in flight
The industrial drone inspection industry is booming and there are countless opportunities for businesses of all sizes. But before you jump into this exciting and lucrative field, it’s important to understand the basics of industrial drone inspection.
Drones are much more cost-efficient than manned aircraft and can cover more ground in less time. This makes them an excellent choice for a variety of industries, including power generation, oil and gas, mining and infrastructure and utilities.
Whether inspecting a boiler, pressure vessel, or cell phone tower, drones can collect key visual data more quickly and easily than humans, minimizing risk exposure and ensuring compliance with safety and health regulations. In addition, inspection data can be easily transferred to decision-making endpoints.
