Safe and secure red zone operations
Published: 22 April, 2021
Improved personal protection and management of people working in the ‘Red Zone’ in the offshore oil and gas drilling sector is provided by an innovative real-time location system from Salunda.
Offering the latest in advanced location tracking capability, the patent protected Crew Hawk® integrates multiple technologies into a reliable, robust zone management system that tracks the locations of people and moving equipment on the drill floor in real time, providing position tracking performance to avert incidents, and reduce the risk of workplace injuries and accidents.
Utilising a patented wireless network, with intrinsically safe wearable locators attached to crew PPE and compact mag-mounted equipment sensors, Crew Hawk automatically triggers personalised warnings, and ultimately pauses moving equipment to prevent a collision if a worker is too close.
The individual is alerted to the risk of danger by an alarm on the wearable device, with the system also preventing the equipment from moving until the individual has left the area and returned to a secure location.
An intuitive user interface allows swift set-up to create a portable safety system that can be rapidly deployed across different zones. This enables enhanced safety levels to be established quickly, for example, in multiple work-areas during different operational, maintenance and upgrade activities.
Crew Hawk® is ATEX and IECEx certified, and the technology can be upgraded with the incorporation of digital ranging cameras to provide an additional level of authorised work area access, safety and security. Crew Hawk® may be integrated with machine vision to discriminate between ‘authorised’ and ‘unauthorised’ personnel and detects those workers that do not have wearable sensors, providing a uniquely fail-safe solution.
Crew Hawk is operational on multiple rigs in the Gulf of Mexico. As a result of comprehensive performance validation, Crew Hawk systems are now being rolled out across the global offshore oilfield drilling sector, including South America, Australia, and South East Asia.
Alan Finlay, CEO at Salunda, said: “Keeping people safe in Red Zones is of paramount importance for offshore oil and gas operators. Salunda’s track record of deploying massive wireless sensors networks on rigs meant we were well placed to deliver Crew Hawk®, a world-first in offshore drilling that meets the requirement for detection and identification of machinery and personnel in a wide variety of circumstances and keeps the two a safe distance apart.”
Salunda has established a reputation as experts in rapidly delivering robust monitoring solutions for harsh environments, which ensure a safer workplace, improve efficiency, and reduce non-productive time during drilling.
More details at www.salunda.com
