September 29th, 2021

Three Ideas on How to Adopt Technology to Predict and Reduce Utility Worker Safety Risks

1) Gain Management/Executive Buy-in. Participation needs to occur at the executive level. You can’t use technology without it. Unfortunately, there are many competing interests for time, resources, and attention, and a healthy level of skepticism is typically embedded in executive culture. These managers have all heard the sales pitch about the magic of technology solutions. But what if you included facts and figures from a test, a dry run, or even proof of concept that you can share and provide? This is how to get their attention.

When presenting concepts for consideration. a good first step is to present ideas grounded in proof and facts. CobraVision, like many AI companies, will develop proof-of-concept scenarios. That said, solving problems can be tricky. The scope and size of the project need to be optimized. It must be meaningful, but not so big that the results are unattainable or take too long to achieve. A quick phone call to consult with an AI systems engineer to right size your project can help.

2) Look Backward. When mistakes or safety accidents occur, you need to find the root cause. You essentially start by looking backward. We often find safety to be a post-event learning opportunity. Begin by illuminating thia problem and collecting data and information. How long has it lasted? What can you do about it? Then Identify activities and issues that led up to this problem. What conditions existed that allowed the event to occur? What physical, human or organizational processes contributed? Can technology be part of the solution? How do we monitor, manage, and prevent future issues?

Getting to the root cause can shed light on the truth and more importantly, show the role that technology can play. AI works best when you can pinpoint past issues and present an action plan to mitigate and correct them versus starting with AI in search of a problem.

3) Scrub the Volumes of Data—Find What You are Missing. How easy is it to detect safety issues? Studies show that humans can find or see only about half of all detectable issues. Even utility workforce veterans miss things. It happens. Technology can help fill the void and process volumes of data from a variety of sources—drones, fixed wing aircraft, job site cameras and more. Whether your video data is old or new, if safety is among your core values, then finding all the possible issues should be a top priority.

Processing the data to reduce potential safety problems can provide faster, real-time feedback with AI. AI machine learning can be programmed to show you what you miss. If you have old video footage from a job site camera, send it our way. We’ll process it and provide you with actionable feedback to show you what you missed.

Fun Fact
Q:

Who wins? Mongoose vs Cobra

A:

The Mongoose

It has special powers--thick fur and a surprising immunity from cobra venom.

Did You Know?

Like the Mongoose, CobraVision has special powers that allows it to function where often humans cannot--inspecting electrical towers at 1,000 feet and more. Contact the team at CobraVision. We don't have thick fur, but we have great answers to your challenges.

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