TECHNOLOGY IN H&S
REMOTE AND SAFE
Steve Munn, MD for Hevasure, looks at the role remote monitoring has to play in reducing site visits and improving health and safety – technologies originally used by the building services sector to ensure plant efficiency.
I’m sure that every health and safety professional has been in risk assessment overdrive putting plans in place to make places of work safe and functional – the balance between running a business and protecting building occupants against COVID-19 can be a tricky one.
Over the last few months many more of us have been working from home, and where possible this will continue. Some office workers will be staying at home for the foreseeable and businesses that never considered allowing staff to operate from home are reaping the benefits – from reduced workplace overheads to improved staff morale.
There are some job roles and business scenarios where home working is simply not possible. You might think that those responsible for the safe operation of buildings – mechanical and electrical contractors, FMs and maintenance teams – are in this category. With the rise in popularity of remote monitoring technology, however, at least some of their role can take place from anywhere with an internet connection.
GOVERNMENT GUIDELINES The government has produced a range of industry
specific guidelines relating to safe working, which can be found here.
Within the recommendations, deciding who should be on site is key. Reducing the amount of people in a space at any one time will help ensure social distancing, while reducing the amount of time employees spend together. So how does remote monitoring help?
THE REMOTE APPROACH Remote monitoring has been growing in popularity
over recent years, allowing a whole range of building services to run more efficiently and breakdown less. Real-time data can be sent direct to responsible parties, providing a true picture of the condition of a system at any given time. Small issues can then be flagged up and fixed, reducing the risk of expensive repairs and breakdown.
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https://www.gov.uk/coronavirus
For closed circuit water systems, essential for a wide range of HVAC plant, the ‘remote approach’ is a more recent development. Historically (and still common place in many buildings), water quality is checked using sampling, where a small amount of water is sent to a laboratory for analysis. Sampling’s issue is that results can take weeks to return, by which time conditions may have changed.
Poor conditions, such as high levels of oxygen and microbial proliferation, cause corrosion, which in turn can lead to costly repairs and downtime.
Remote monitoring in this scenario is proving itself to be a very effective way of stopping corrosion altogether. By tracking small changes, issues can be rectified immediately, before they get out of hand.
One of the other benefits of remote monitoring is that it can reduce the need to physically check and maintain a site; a key benefit in our new corona cautious world. With data sent direct to customers via SMS or email, if everything’s fine with a system, there’s no need to go to site. Before remote monitoring, closed circuit water systems were routinely checked, regardless of whether there was an issue.
HEALTHY HUMANS, HEALTHY HVAC Remote monitoring is not only helping HVAC plant
run more efficiently with less human input, it’s also taking a key role in the fight against coronavirus; from track and trace software, to remote patient monitoring. Trials are currently underway where isolating COVID-19 victims stay at home while their condition is checked, with appropriate intervention given where required – just like our monitored closed-water systems.
Real-time data is important to our future. It helps us understand the health of humans (and HVAC), allows us to stop problems before they get out of hand and react appropriately to any given situation, increasing positive outcomes and reducing risk. When it comes to COVID-19 it will literally save lives – whether directly through tracking symptoms and alerting people that need to self-isolate, or indirectly by helping businesses protect their staff.
www.hevasure.com
www.tomorrowshs.com
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