Tag Archives: Drones

Managing Occupational Risks in the Renewable Energy Sector

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According to recent estimates, the renewable energy sector employs 12 million people worldwide. Keeping workers safe is vital in any industry but as the use of clean energies rapidly expands around the globe, more workers are putting themselves at risk climbing wind turbines, maintaining remote solar panels and dealing with flammable biofuels. By identifying and managing the risks involved, a range of safety interventions can be used to reduce the risk of injury to workers.

drone at a wind-farm

Reducing The Risks of Wind Turbine Maintenance

As more wind turbines are constructed, the number of accidents associated with their maintenance and repair has also risen. When a worker is injured on site, a personal injury lawyer will investigate the circumstances and potential causes of the accident. As well as helping to secure appropriate compensation for injured workers, the information gathered can be used to prevent similar accidents happening again. Thus, it is essential for all industry workers to know how does personal injury law work.

To further limit the risks to turbine workers, drones are regularly used to carry out hazardous and labor-intensive jobs including the inspection of turbine blades. Drones can now be equipped with extra tools such as AI which enables them to store, analyze and report the data they collect to wind farm managers. EcoOnline also has different safety softwares that can make monitoring your site’s safety easier.

Mitigating the Dangers of Solar Panel Installation

Due to their placement on high roofs and in remote locations, solar energy systems also pose a risk to workers when they are installing, maintaining and repairing solar panels. Taking into account the amount of power generated, working with solar energy is three times more hazardous than wind power and results in up to 150 deaths around the world each year. Risks include exposure to high temperatures, electric shocks and falls, all of which are increased if work has to be carried out in adverse weather conditions.

solar panels pigeon issue

To mitigate these risks, safety interventions to mitigate these risks can include the increased use of specially designed training modules, the automation of certain tasks and changes in shift patterns to avoid fatigue amongst workers.

Reducing Exposure to Hazards in BioFuel Production

While biofuels produced from renewable resources such as plant biomass and vegetable oils are safe to use, they can be dangerous to manufacture. They are highly flammable and can produce potentially hazardous chemical reactions.  These can result in burns and other  injuries caused by exposure to fire, chemicals or explosions. Manufacturers of biofuels should follow the standard safety guidelines for working with chemicals which include storing products correctly, providing adequate personal protection equipment to workers and training them to handle hazardous substances safely.

hazards of biofuel production

As many biofuel businesses are small, in the US they can access consultation services from the Occupational Health and Safety Administration which will give them advice on programs to protect workers and what to do in the event of an emergency.

Bottom Line

As more workers are employed by the renewable industry, the numbers of occupational accidents and injuries are likely to rise. By identifying and managing risks as they become known, safety interventions can be implemented promptly.

Here’s What To Expect With Your First Environmental Inspection

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An environmental inspection gives the organization crucial information that will help it create a successful program for ongoing environmental improvement. All investigations, from on-site visits to data gathering and analysis, are taken into account to control their environmental impact. It also assists in finding ways to improve waste management, and eventually comply with environmental laws. The process may seem daunting if you are a business owner undergoing an environmental inspection for the first time. Here is a brief guide to the entire environmental inspection process to calm your nerves.

environmental inspection process

Steps in Environmental Inspection

Environmental inspections cover various domains. Although the procedure may differ slightly, the standard process of an environmental inspection follows 7 steps. These are:

1. Planning

  • Defining The Context

It’s crucial to establish the inspection plan’s context. According to the mission’s goals, statutory tasks, and competencies, the inspection authorities determine the mission’s scope according to the context. Setting the backdrop is crucial to focus on the dangers that must be examined.

  • Establishing Priorities

Conducting a risk analysis is crucial to preparing for an environmental inspection. Priorities are established by determining the hazards associated with the various installations and activities at the inspected facility. The risk level is then categorized into high, medium, and low risk.

  • Settings Goals And Objectives

The inspection’s goals can be decided upon once the priorities have been established. Performance indicators should be used to keep track of the output and outcomes to determine whether these goals can and will be met. Compliance with relevant environmental regulatory requirements is always one of the goals.

  • Planning And Review

Based on the preceding processes, the inspection plan and schedule are established. The strategy, the objectives, and the pertinent conditions under which the inspection is to be conducted are all covered in depth in the plan. On the other side, the schedule contains the logistical information on the inspection and the appointed inspector(s).

2. Framework And Protocols

The framework for the inspection activities is established in this step. It is crucial to guarantee that the investigation will be conducted efficiently, expertly, and consistently. At this time, working guidelines and protocols are created.

3. Execution

Activities designed to confirm compliance are included  to carry out the inspection efficiently, and in accordance with the protocols established in the earlier steps. Everything is carried out in accordance with the protocols established in the earlier steps. A searchable database contains all the details of the inspection activities, findings, and follow-ups. The inspector(s) conclude their inquiry by issuing a report in which all the information and earlier reports are examined and analyzed.

How To Pursue A Career In Environmental Management

4. Performance Analysis

Performance analysis enables the inspecting authority to determine whether goals and targets have been met and to report either internally or externally. Performance indicators show which methods and tactics are most effective in ensuring compliance and whether the inspection authority is carrying out its duties. The data provided in this stage can be used to analyze the inspection plan and potentially generate reports for usage by outside parties.

How Can UAV Benefit Inspections?

Drone technology offers access and insight that some individuals are unable to obtain on their own. There are several ways that UAVs benefit the environment. Besides wildlife conservation and reporting climate change, drones are quite helpful for gathering inspection data. The ability to gather data provides the opportunity to make more informed decisions. Drones primarily record, monitor, and take images of what is going on in the environment. Several organizations, like soar consulting, are now actively utilizing UAV technologies for environmental inspection.

Final Thoughts

Conducting an environmental inspection can reveal the precise state of an organization’s compliance with environmental laws. This enables proactive businesses to anticipate new regulations and set up businesses in accordance with the established regulations and compliances.

How Modern Technology is Transforming Urban Development?

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Australia is famous the whole world over for its incredible scenery and stunning countryside, from the arid yet beautiful outback to the shimmering sands of the Gold Coast, but the country is also home to some of the world’s favourite cities. Australia’s population is growing, and so urban development and planning is becoming ever more important. The way we plan, design and build our urban centres has changed rapidly over the last decades thanks to evolving needs, environmental concerns and rapidly advancing technology.

It is this combination that is helping Australian towns and cities lead the way when it comes to urban generation and regeneration.

More Accurate Surveying

Thorough surveying is the key to successful development, and it was once a laborious and time-consuming process, and therefore by necessity, an expensive one too. One modern invention has transformed this task completely, as the most forward thinking planners now utilise unmanned aerial surveying techniques.

Using the latest high-powered drones, planners and developers can now get a much more accurate and holistic picture of the land that they plan to build on. The highly detailed maps produced from the air allow clients to make more informed decisions quicker than they would otherwise have been able to, thus helping to ensure that projects come in on time and on budget.

Greener Developments

Many Australians are becoming increasingly concerned about the effect that mankind is having upon the environment, and the effects of climate change can be seen across this nation and beyond. That’s why surveyors and designers have to be very careful when planning urban developments, as it’s imperative that expanding urban centres don’t adversely impact upon our ecology or the incredible animal life that also calls Australia its home.

Today’s leading urban surveying companies put green issues at the heart of the work, using the latest computer modelling techniques to thoroughly assess the impact of an urban development upon the environment surrounding it; in this way, it’s possible to maintain the equilibrium between the need to develop new urban spaces and the need to protect our ecosystems.

Bringing Greater Benefits to Urban Dwellers

There are many factors to be considered when planning an urban development, as well as the green concerns mentioned above. It’s essential for planners to be able to make accurate assessments of what benefits their development will bring to the people who live within it and upon its neighbourhood, and this involves careful study of a wide range of metrics and projections.

The highly detailed maps produced from the air allow clients to make more informed decisions quicker

Whilst this remains a specialist and highly important job, the appearance of specialist computer programmes now allow planners to make an economic and demographic assessment that’s more accurate than ever before.

Expert urban planners know how essential it is to use all of the technological innovations now available to them, from unmanned aerial surveying, to high tech demographic assessment tools and greener planning software. This is why new urban developments bring benefits for residents and businesses, and for the economy as a whole, while still protecting the rural areas and environment that make Australia the envy of the world.