Big data, digital transformation, and the Internet of Things (IoT) are concepts that have been swirling around for years, so it should be no surprise that that amount of data created each day has grown exponentially. Some estimates suggest that by 2025, more than 463 exabytes of data will be created daily around the world, driven in part by more than 10.88 billion cellular IoT connections, including connected gas monitors.
Collecting massive amounts of data is the easy part, but accessing the data, interpreting it, and doing something meaningful to create a safer world is much more challenging. When it comes to your safety data, do you know how to use it?
Here are our top four tips for using data from your gas monitors to ensure your site and people are as safe as possible:
1. Collect the right data at the right time
Gas detection programs can be complex to manage, so you need access to reliable data in an instant. Paper and pencil reports of the past make it difficult and time consuming to compile critical data on calibration status, bump test dates, fleet status and more. Cloud-connected docking stations can automate the process of getting data from a gas monitor to the cloud, with some connected gas monitors sending data to the cloud in real time. When it’s easy to access your data, you’re more likely to use it to inform future safety decisions.
2. Spot trends to predict and prevent future incidents
Organizations need to combine safety observations with data to uncover trends across a plant or other industrial site. One company used data from their gas monitors to uncover the source of 7,000 gas alarms over the course of one year—with more than 10% of these alarms coming from just two workers. Using this data, they identified and corrected the workers’ behaviors to prevent the unsafe actions in the future. This is just one small example of how you can use data to shape safety behaviors.
3. Use data to automate actions and save time
Organizations need to marry device analytics with automated equipment replacement programs to eliminate downtime and allocate resources when and where they’re needed most. Data about sensors, battery life, calibration gas levels and expiration dates, compliance and more should tell your service providers when you need new gas monitors so they can provide them.
4. Look at the whole safety picture
You shouldn’t look at data in isolation. Reviewing data from one area of your safety program only tells part of the story. When you look at data from across your program, you’ll see a new picture emerge. What does your data say about how workers are using equipment, whether processes are being followed, or if they’re in compliance with standard protocols?
Organizations are looking for smart ways to use data to guide decisions across all areas of safety, including hazards, people, and equipment. By putting data at the center of your safety program, you can make informed decisions to improve processes and safety practices across your worksites.
To learn more about the advantages of using data in your gas detection program, check out iNet Control, our comprehensive platform that gives you the power to reduce risk through critical insights and complete control over your equipment, data, and worker behaviors.
