To build large and complex structures for the energy industry requires mountains of equipment. It also requires the use of higher risk processes such as work at height and the operation of machinery such as cranes. Having control over these risks is essential to ensure safety in the workplace.
Developing a strong safety culture has been a top priority for Aker Solutions. The focus has been on improved work processes, education, effective communication and simple equipment management. To achieve these goals requires a unified approach and investment of both time and resources for long term change. Challenges to overcome included a workforce with short contracts and a range of languages, and equipment arriving from other locations.
Many equipment management processes were manual, meaning workers and inspectors had to use physical paperwork or spreadsheets to document the status of equipment. As a result, information was not always easily accessible, and ways of working could be complicated and time consuming.
The solution
Equipment is managed, inspected and maintained by an in-house team of experts.
To improve equipment management and simplify inspections, the Transport, Marine and Crane Manger at Aker Solutions in Egersund began exploring digital solutions. The solution would need to be simple to use, fit existing work practices, ensure compliance with regulations, and contribute to the company’s wider project of developing a positive safety culture.
The team in Egersund committed to a total overhaul of its equipment compliance management. All loose lifting equipment from strops and slings to clamps and shackles would be inputted into a digital platform that could make access to information such as users manuals simple. Inspections of this equipment would also need to take place in the software, for total traceability.
The Aker Solutions yard in Egersund chose Onix as the solution. The Onix team supported our customer to set up an Onix Work account, with Onix Inspect and Onix Worker licenses.
All 12,000+ items of Aker Solutions in Egersund’s lifting equipment are now managed and inspected with Onix Work. Each piece of equipment has a digital twin in the software with a complete history and all documentation attached. Employees can access information on the equipment they are using by scanning a QR code or searching for the item in Onix Work with their handheld devices. Inspectors can use the same QR codes or search with Onix Inspect to conduct simple digital inspections with customizable checklists. Inspections documents are created digitally, and equipment history is updated.
In addition, managers can now view equipment statuses in Onix Work to support planning of inspection, maintenance and ordering work. Information on equipment use and equipment loss can support more effective and data drive equipment management.
Time saving, improved overview, better planning and a strong safety culture.
This huge sign greets employees on their way to work. It says, “Everyone shall return home safely.”
With Onix, our customer has fully digitalized its equipment management process. Suppliers like John Dahle and Certex deliver digital documentation directly into Aker Solutions’ Onix account, then equipment is managed and inspected digitally with Onix Work and Onix Inspect. This means equipment is traceable and compliance is ensured from delivery to end of life.
As a result of this, the equipment management and inspection team has vastly improved oversight of the thousands of items of equipment at the Egersund site. It is simple to plan for inspections and maintenance at the right time, and to ensure that equipment is always available and safe for use.
Better planning with digital tools that reduce manual paperwork also helps save time. This is especially important during the busiest inspection period in the first months of the year. Saving time with simpler processes, automatic document generation, and complete inspection histories helps lighten the load.
With Onix you can set up checklists before going out of the office and then complete them on your iPads when on inspection. Afterwards you can see what has been inspected in Onix Work and generate reports.
Perhaps the most important result however for our customer is the improvements made to the safety culture. With systems that make crucial safety information accessible to all, and leaders who promote the use of these systems, safety becomes top of mind.