We get the details from Dräger safety expert Thielo Hammer
In this Q&A with safety specialist Thielo Hammer from Dräger, he tells us how the company’s new INARA digital safety guard promises to raise safety standards for the process industry.
Q:What exactly is INARA and how can the system significantly raise industrial safety standards?
INARA is the world’s first digital safety guard. It is a battery-powered explosion-protected system that we can place in critical work areas. With its cameras and gas sensors, INARA constantly monitors the environment, enables voice communication and knows who is in the work area. If critical work such as welding processes is in progress and the system identifies a danger, for instance if the ambient air becomes potentially explosive, it initiates an evacuation to immediately stop the work.
Q: What are the benefits of digital solutions of this sort?
INARA provides entirely new opportunities in workplace safety. For example, we can see inside work areas that a human safety guard cannot even access. This allows dangers to be identified early on and preventive action to be taken more quickly. For example, when inspecting containers we can look directly inside to monitor the working conditions, which has not been possible before. What’s more, INARA offers customers much greater flexibility and cost-effectiveness. The system can be deployed based on their specific operational requirements. Imagine you need 50 or 100 safety guards, with INARA we can simply keep the systems on standby and deploy them immediately when needed. INARA does not generate any costs when not in use. It does not need to be housed or transported and just needs to remain charged, ready for immediate use.
Q: Which areas of industry will most benefit from digital safety guards and why?
Currently, the primary areas of application are refineries, petrochemical plants and the chemical industry. Energy suppliers and power plant operators are also showing increasing interest in our solution. The typical application scenarios are diverse, from the classic monitoring of critical work such as welding processes and working at heights, to confined space entries and monitoring of larger work areas. A particularly exciting new field of application has recently emerged in England. The police are interested in using INARA to monitor sewer systems during major events or state visits. This shows just how versatile our system is. INARA is a complete service concept – our customers rent the hardware as well as the personnel who operate the system.
INARA allows Dräger to offer this service worldwide, regardless of the availability of safety guards. This is particularly valuable for multinational companies with locations in different countries. We are taking a huge burden off our customers as our service model lets them focus entirely on their core processes. We take care of everything from setup to maintenance. We not only provide the technology, but also the trained personnel for operation and maintenance. Our operators are specially trained and can monitor several INARA systems simultaneously. This means a huge reduction in complex safety logistics, particularly for companies whose core business is the production of chemicals or fuels.
Q: What challenges do customers typically face if they are considering switching to digital safety solutions and how do you support them during this change?
The greatest challenge often lies in adjusting existing processes. The introduction of digital solutions often requires our customers to adopt a new mindset. Procedures and risk assessments need to be adjusted – this is a big step. Many of our customers have well-established processes and introducing innovative technology, such as INARA, requires them to rethink their safety concepts. This starts with risk assessments that extend to all safety procedures. We work closely with our customers to make this transition as smooth as possible.
Q: What do you think the future of industrial safety will look like and what role will digital systems like INARA play?
We see huge potential in the digitalisation of industrial safety, particularly with INARA. The concept is a world-first and ready for use around the clock. This allows us to cover peak demand periods that simply would not be possible using traditional safety guards. In the future, we believe INARA will be an integral part of everyday operations in industrial plants worldwide. We are constantly working on improving and expanding the system. For example, we are integrating additional sensors for temperature and humidity to monitor working conditions even more comprehensively. An exciting topic for the future is the use of artificial intelligence to automatically detect dangerous situations. Imagine a system that could independently recognise if someone is not wearing a safety helmet or is in a dangerous situation. Our over-riding goal is always to make a sustainable contribution to work safety. With INARA, we want to do more than just reduce costs for our customers. Above all we want to contribute actively to Vision Zero: which sees every employee returning home safe and sound.
For more information visit: www.draeger.com/en_uk/safety/smart-safety/live-monitoring
