AUTOMATION & ROBOTICS
tasks to ensure compliance is met. At a time when the NHS has a huge backlog of critical cases and healthcare challenges, is this the best use of nurses’ expertise and time? What is more, it is also worth con- sidering that just one single case of non-compliance can lead to detrimental consequences, depending on the sector. For instance, in the food and hospitality sectors, contaminated food, in the best case, ends up in the bin. In the worst case, it ends up on the con- sumer’s table and potentially causes illness and other problems.
The challenges
It’s clear that COVID-19-19 has resulted in staff shortages in many workplaces, and in some cases where employees have been made redundant or furloughed, the task of monitoring has to be allocated as an additional responsibility for others. But this can add further complexity if management lacks the visibility of what has been checked and when. How can they be sure that all necessary checks have been carried out at the right time and to the required stan- dard, especially if they may not even be on-site? Many businesses have had to streamline their workforce considerably during the last 18 months; it has become imperative, in many cases, that resource within the business is focused on essential operations for success and growth rather than lengthy manual monitoring tasks. Adhering to regulations is still as important as ever, but with advances in technology, those businesses that turn to automated monitoring solutions will benefit not just from time saved, but peace of mind that essential processes are now auto- matically completed – with the ability to generate additional insight to learn and take action from.
Automated efficiency
In many cases of regulatory compliance, wireless IoT sensor technology can be used for asset or environ- ment monitoring. Rather than workers needing to observe and physically note down recordings, infor- mation is automatically documented, stored and can be used to automatically generate charts and reports that match the relevant regulatory requirements for that particular industry.
For instance, in the food industry wireless sensors can be placed within fridges and freezers that will regularly check and record the temperatures and
generate daily and weekly reports. An automated solution not only improves safety standards by en- abling monitoring at frequent intervals, but it can reduce the staffing needed and can help alert staff to fridge breakdowns in real time to reduce wast- age. Monitoring other parameters such as power and energy readings can help predict early risk of machine failure and reduce energy consumption, which can lead to valuable cost savings. Addition- ally, over-chilling certain foods can affect quality, leading to issues such as watery yoghurt in super- market fridges. So, by ensuring that food contents are stored at correct temperatures, product quality – and therefore customer satisfaction – can be im- proved and maintained.
Within the warehousing industry, racking vibra- tions can be monitored automatically through IoT sensors to help detect when and where racks are hit and/or compromised to help to reduce the need to manually check all the racks. With this monitor- ing in place, the ability to immediately respond to these incidents also improves forklift drivers’, and other workers’, awareness and care in these scenarios. Effective monitoring in place also results in driving more targeted tasks for those involved in managing the problem, and a reduction in the labour and time costs associated with this. Further, it means that issues can be detected that wouldn’t necessarily be spotted by a visual inspection alone, so problems can be identified and fixed before they escalate.
In education, hospitality and office environ- ments, a typical monitoring challenge is knowing whether the workspace is ventilated enough to reduce the risk of infections like COVID-19 spread- ing and be deemed safe for use. CO2 monitoring equipment can measure levels within the space. However, to get accurate readings the measuring equipment needs to be in the right place and the readings need to be taken and recorded over a time period. Certain factors will affect CO2 levels. For example, the number of people within the room and of course how much fresh air is coming in from opened windows and ventilation systems. Without the aid of technology, regularly checking these levels and noting down readings is hugely time-consuming and, consequently, people would likely miss when the CO2 levels become too high.
Automating the process ensures readings are taken and recorded regularly making it far easier to manage ventilation and, should levels hit a cer- tain threshold, designated team members can be alerted immediately to take action such as open windows or turn on ventilation systems. Another factor to consider is that some organi- sations might just opt for handheld CO2 monitors. This approach is not effective as CO2 levels develop over time, based on the number of people in a par- ticular area (e.g. the office). A spot check on venti- lation in the morning won’t be sufficient to provide useful consistent data throughout the day. No one would think of walking around with a smoke detector to spot check if there might be a risk of fire – okay, granted, the risk of damage to staff and premises is higher from a fire, but the principle is the same. Furthermore, today, sensors are quick and easy to install and do not require any expen- sive wiring to run, or an overhaul to existing infra- structure. The solutions are cloud-based, making it much simpler to leverage, and registered users can also access the data from a secure portal from any web browser, enabling effective senior manage- ment oversight, even from a remote location.
Overcoming regulatory challenges
Businesses should not let staff shortages and old-fashioned manual processes stifle their de- velopment, growth or compliance efforts. The pandemic has held many organisations back and had significant impacts on continuity so it’s crucial organisations learn from this and evolve in line with new technology capabilities – especially with predictions that machines will be responsible for half of all work tasks by 2025. Automating menial monitoring tasks frees up staff and improves ef- ficiency on several levels, allowing staff to focus on much more valuable, skilled tasks. Automated monitoring solutions also act as a failsafe for when staff are off ill or if staff levels need to be reduced, after all, compliance measures are always required and do not change just because staff are unavail- able. Ultimately, these solutions can streamline operations, release time within the business, and protect staff, customers and students across a range of industries.
ANT Telecom
www.anttelecom.co.uk/
Chris Potts is marketing director at ANT Telecom, a bespoke telecommunications provider based in Buck- inghamshire. Potts has over 20 years of experience working for telecommunications companies and his current role includes promoting ANT’s comprehen- sive range of solutions that include IoT, lone worker safety and critical alarm management. Potts is also responsible for developing, planning and executing all inbound and outbound marketing campaigns to maximise sales lead opportunities for ANT Telecom.
FACTORY&HANDLINGSOLUTIONS | FEBRUARY 2022 11
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