By Ian Tan Hanhonn
Every worker’s life is important, and every worker deserves to work in a safe environment.
One organisation is providing just that for its workers – PUB, Singapore’s national water agency.
I recently visited their Ulu Pandan Water Reclamation Plant (UPWRP), located at 51 Old Toh Tuck road.
At the site, they showcased two of their several initiatives that not only help to improve worker safety but to also improve workplace efficiency.
UPWRP first started piloting its safety tracker initiative at the end of October 2020.
While the initiative went through a couple of versions, the iteration presented during the visit was a modest-looking device – slightly shorter and narrower than your average smartphone but thicker.
Though unassuming, the device packs a slew of safety features such as real-time location tracking at both indoors and outdoors settings, geofencing, distress and fall alerts. It is also capable of delivering an emergency message broadcast.
And unlike the Global Positioning System (GPS) found in most smartphones today, the device claims to be able to provide an even more precise location analysis, down to the exact level of the facility where the worker can be found.
And within a compound that is some 41 hectares in size, precise location tracking during an accident could save precious minutes or even seconds, which could mean the difference between life and death.
UPWRP General Manager Kelvin Koh shared that workers are usually paired up when they work around the plant. Even then, there still are limitations.
“Even with the buddy system, sometimes when you are on the same level but doing separate work, you may not even have a line of sight of your buddy, or may not even hear him when he falls,” he explained.
“Hence we rely on technology such as this to help us.”
The pilot is currently being tested with 100 PUB staff and 40 contractors who work at the plant. It is expected to last till August 2021, where they will assess the strength of the technology as well as weigh the benefits against the cost of the system.
UPWRP has also trialled an augmented reality (AR) application, meant to aid operations and maintenance work.
The application was developed to demonstrate how AR can be used to improve work productivity and safety for plant operators.
This pilot project validated the use of AR as a proof of concept to support hands-free remote assistance and provide guided maintenance procedural training for operators.
The AR-visor provides the user with an unobstructed view of his surroundings, while concurrently feeding him with real-time information on what needs to be done, and the precautions that need to be taken.
PUB will be working with ST Engineering to further develop teaching modules that will help with the training of new technicians and engineers.
PUB also works closely with the Public Utilities Board Employees' Union (PUBEU), relying on the union to help disseminate safety protocols on the ground.
“Our main focus is actually on the mindset and behaviour,” said PUBEU union leader Bramsha Osman.
“We [the union] try to take a more collaborative approach with our members, understanding their concerns and taking those concerns as feedback to management," he added.
PUBEU Vice President Khairuddin Ismail said that he hopes the union can help instil the confidence in all its members to step up and warn, even senior management staff when they are not adhering to safety protocols.
“Everyone is a safety officer, and everyone ought to do their part,” he said.
