Transforming work through human sensing: a confined space monitoring application

Abstract

The use of objective data via sensors and subjective data via qualitative assessments from subject matter experts for the structural health monitoring of important assets is a long-standing and prudent practice. However, humans who build, maintain, or operate these systems are often not monitored with the same degree of importance. Although the reasons for this discrepancy may be numerous and sometimes well-intentioned (e.g. privacy), human monitoring systems are still relatively nascent when compared to their machine-based counterparts. Fortunately, the recent proliferation and miniaturization of wearable technology offers as an unprecedented opportunity in the realm of human monitoring systems. This article presents an example of how human sensing technology is transforming the nature of work in the aircraft maintenance domain by reducing operating costs and enhancing personnel safety. More specifically, this article describes a remote monitoring system for monitoring the health and safety of individuals working Occupational Safety and Health Administration–defined confined spaces, which are dangerous places to work for reasons such as small physical space or adverse atmospheric conditions. The described system consists of (1) wearable monitoring systems for assessing physiological data, postural and activity data, geographic location, and atmospheric data; (2) a body area network for transmitting data to a centralized, cloud-based server; (3) a customized alerting architecture for the generation and management of health and safety alerts; and (4) various user interfaces for depicting critical information to the appropriate parties. This article describes these components in detail along with a brief description of both the history of human monitoring and pitfalls that typically plague such initiatives. The specific initiative that supported the generation of this system is still under development; however, this article aims to provide a practical example of how a human monitoring system can augment safety and cost efficiency in a precarious environment.

Advanced sensor technologies and the future of work

“…The objective was to identify and respond to emergency situations more quickly than in traditional approaches where an attendant outside of the confined space communicates verbally with the confined space worker. While implementation of this confined space monitoring system led to increases in productivity and worker perception of safety, the case study authors acknowledge that the proposed system would not be able to prevent incidents such as entrapment or blunt force trauma 69 …”

“…A confined space monitoring system was developed and utilized for monitoring workers in OSHA‐defined confined spaces during an aircraft maintenance case study 69 The goal of the case study was to improve both work efficiency and worker safety by addressing challenges associated with existing remote worker monitoring systems. These challenges are as follows: (1) determining if a worker is incapacitated; (2) locating a worker inside an aircraft's confined space; (3) sampling atmospheric composition; and (4) monitoring worker activity by means of a streamlined data acquisition system 69 . The confined space monitoring system was composed of commercial wearable sensors, algorithms operating in a central expert system, and a customized interface design focused on the augmentation of operator decision making 69 .…”

“…These challenges are as follows: (1) determining if a worker is incapacitated; (2) locating a worker inside an aircraft's confined space; (3) sampling atmospheric composition; and (4) monitoring worker activity by means of a streamlined data acquisition system 69 . The confined space monitoring system was composed of commercial wearable sensors, algorithms operating in a central expert system, and a customized interface design focused on the augmentation of operator decision making 69 . In this case study, a single controller monitored various sensors that reported workers’ respiration and heart rates, workers’ location, and environmental gas conditions.…”

Identification of root cause of fatal confined space incidents in Malaysia and strategies for prevention

“…Conducting a thorough risk assessment before commencing work in confined spaces is very important. This is because a significant number of incidents occur due to workers' inability to identify the risks they will face while working in confined spaces [38,46]. This assessment aids in devising an appropriate strategy to mitigate risks associated with confined space work.…”

Human Sensing Meets People Crowd Detection – A Case of Developing Countries

“…Crowd-centric sensing models properties of a group of people, while human-centric approaches detect individual human activities. Human centric sensing (HCS) models have been used in personal security (Carreño, 2013), health (Kiehl et., 2020;Wu et al, 2015) and sports (Zhao & You, 2021). Crowd sensing approaches have also been categorized as device free and device present.…”