Smart Monitoring System: Enhancing Safety & Efficiency Across Saudi Arabia’s Oil & Gas Sites
- Shoyab Ali
- Dec 20, 2024
- 6 min read
Updated: 7 days ago
Safety in the oil and gas industry is non-negotiable, especially in high-risk environments like drilling rigs and offshore platforms. Saudi Arabia’s booming oil & gas sector undergoes significant challenges in managing workplace safety.
For example, workers can easily fall into hazardous situations like unauthorized access to red zones or failing to wear the required PPE, which can lead to life-threatening accidents. In the extreme environments of remote drilling rigs, these safety risks can quickly escalate.
viAct’s Smart Monitoring System, an advanced Safety Command Center (SCC) powered with AI, edge, and IoT technologies, brings real-time intelligence to safety management across oil & gas operations. The centralized platform acts as a core hub of the smart site monitoring solution (SSMS), integrating smart sensors, cameras, and analytics to deliver complete situational awareness.
The Smart Monitoring System for oil & gas industry, which includes smart site safety system (4S) as a core solution – is designed to tackle these challenges head-on, offering a comprehensive, AI-powered safety monitoring platform that ensures real-time visibility, predictive safety insights, and operational efficiency.
By leveraging AI safety monitoring and intelligent site management, this system supports Saudi Arabia’s mission for digitally transformed, smarter oil & gas operations.
Although AI integration into the existing operations of an oil & gas setting might sound intimidating, viAct smart monitoring system is built for simplicity – from implementation to predictive analytics – in just three streamlined stages.
Let’s find out more!
Step 1: Easy Integration with Existing Infrastructure
One of the core advantages of viAct smart monitoring system is its ability to integrate smoothly with the existing safety infrastructure. Whether it’s CCTV systems, sensors, RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) devices, or monitoring tools, the AI safety monitoring system enhances them without requiring a complete overhaul of the current setup.
This means oil & gas operations in Saudi Arabia can enjoy an improved safety solution without long downtimes.
The heart of the system is its Centralized Management Platform, which consolidates all safety-related data from various modules into one interface.
This provides EHS managers with real-time AI monitoring and data-driven insights into safety conditions across the entire site, whether they are on-site or remote. From drilling rigs to refining facilities, the smart monitoring system ensures visibility, safety and operational efficiency – all from a single dashboard.
Here’s how viAct Smart Monitoring System works in practice:
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Step 2: Real-time Monitoring with AI-Powered Smart Monitoring Modules
Each module of viAct smart monitoring system addresses a critical safety concern in the oil and gas industry. Let’s look at some key features and real-life applications:
1. Digitized Permit-to-Work (PTW)
The PTW/ePTW solution helps automate and digitize work permits, ensuring that only qualified personnel enter hazardous areas.
For example, at a Saudi offshore oil rig, this module ensures that workers can only access high-risk zones if they have the proper training and safety clearance – eliminating manual errors common in paper-based PTWs.
2. Digitized Tracking & Hazardous Area Access Control
AI safety monitoring tracks workers in real-time using computer vision and AI video analytics, ensuring that they are in safe zones.
There are several hazards that a worker in the oil & gas sector is prone to. In environments where extreme temperatures are common, especially on rigs exposed to high heat or in areas where cold weather is an issue, workers can be at risk of heat stress or hypothermia.
The AI-powered smart monitoring system can track worker’s location in temperature-controlled areas and send alerts when workers are in zones where temperature levels are hazardous. The smart lock system doubly ensures the prevention of unauthorised entries into such areas.
A significant danger on oil rigs is being struck by moving machinery or heavy equipment. For instance, if a worker is detected entering an area where tower cranes are operating, AI-powered cameras integrated with the smart monitoring system can automatically alert supervisors to ensure immediate intervention in the tower crane lifting zone.
3. PPE Detection & Unsafe Worker Behaviour
AI CCTV automatically detect if workers are wearing the required PPE. For example, on a Saudi Arabian oil extraction site, the system would immediately flag any worker not wearing their helmet, gloves, or safety vest.
Unsafe behaviors, such as workers ignoring safety protocols, any worker missing in action or feeling drowsy or unwell, can also be detected, helping reduce risks associated with human error.
Workers involved in physically demanding tasks may be exposed to ergonomic risks such as repetitive motion injuries, strains, and sprains. The smart tracking system can monitor worker posture and behavior, using AI to detect potentially dangerous movements, such as improper lifting techniques or long periods of standing without proper ergonomic adjustments.
These alerts can be sent to both the worker and their supervisor to address the issue before it becomes a health risk.
4. Confined Space & Red Zone Monitoring
In areas like confined spaces, the risk is much higher due to limited ventilation and other safety hazards. The smart monitoring system constantly monitors access to confined spaces, ensuring workers do not enter these areas without proper clearance.
Red zones are prone to the risk of fire and explosions, especially in environments with flammable materials or high-pressure equipment along with the heavy use of electrical systems in oil and gas operations, workers are at constant risk of electrical shocks or arc flash injuries.
Additionally, the system enhances safety from drilling rigs hazards by continuously analysing rig activities to detect unsafe proximity, mechanical faults, or gas leaks before they escalate into major incidents.
Quick Case Study: A leading offshore operator in Abu Dhabi faced recurring near-miss incidents in high-risk “red zones” despite strict safety protocols. By deploying viAct AI-powered Red Zone Management solution, the company achieved an 80% reduction in violations, boosting frontline safety and minimizing costly operational disruptions across its offshore rigs.
Read the full case study here: https://www.viact.ai/case-studies/abu-dhabi-offshore-oil-gas-leader-cuts-red-zone-violations-with-viact-ai |
Through integration with gas detection systems and AI-powered safety cameras, the smart monitoring system can monitor restricted areas and ensure that workers do not enter hazardous zones.
Step 3: Generative AI for Actionable Insights and Situational Alerts
The strength of the smart monitoring system goes beyond surveillance. Its Generative AI and analytics engines enable predictive safety monitoring and preventive decision-making. It analyzes patterns from thousands of data points to predict potential risks and recommend proactive measures.
For example, if a machinery in a Saudi oil field begins showing signs of malfunction, the system not only triggers an alert but also predicts the likelihood of failure, suggesting preventive actions before any major issues arise.
Additionally, viAct conversational AI chatbot, viGent, offers real-time guidance for workers and safety officers – from confined space entry protocols to emergency evacuation steps.
Suppose a worker is unsure about the proper procedure for entering a confined space, viGent will provide them with step-by-step instructions. In case of emergencies, it helps guide the workforce to safety, providing clarity during high-pressure situations.
The system also uses smart monitoring devices, such as wearables and SOS-enabled smart watches, to track vital signs like heart rate and stress levels, ensuring rapid response during emergencies. Integration with the Emergency Control Center (ECC) ensures immediate communication between on-site personnel and emergency teams, facilitating faster rescue and response.
Through this intelligent ecosystem, the smart monitoring system transforms safety management from reactive to predictive, keeping workers safe and connected 24/7.
The Future of Smart Monitoring System in Saudi Arabia’s Oil & Gas Sector
As Saudi Arabia advances towards Vision 2030, the integration of AI, IoT, and automation in industrial safety will become essential. Smart monitoring systems are key enablers of this transformation – offering scalable, intelligent, and efficient monitoring frameworks for oil & gas operations.
Future-ready energy companies will rely on predictive safety monitoring, AI-driven analytics, and smart workplace surveillance to protect lives while optimizing operational performance.
In this evolving landscape, viAct’s smart monitoring system stands at the forefront – enabling the digital transformation of workplace safety and empowering Saudi Arabia’s oil & gas sector to operate smarter, safer, and more sustainably.
Quick FAQs
1. How does viAct smart monitoring system integrate with existing systems of Saudi Arabia’s Oil & Gas companies?
The smart monitoring system integrates smoothly with the current workplace safety infrastructure, including cameras, sensors, and other monitoring tools, enhancing their effectiveness without requiring a full overhaul.
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2. What are the benefits of the digital PTW system of the smart monitoring system in rig safety?
The digital PTW system automates and streamlines the work permit process, ensuring that only authorized personnel can enter hazardous areas and improving overall drilling rig safety and compliance.
3. Can viAct's smart monitoring system prevent safety breaches in real time?
Yes, viAct smart monitoring system is an advanced Safety Command Center (SCC) that uses AI-powered video analytics and real-time alerts to detect workplace safety breaches, such as unauthorized access to restricted areas or non-compliance with PPE regulations, helping prevent accidents instantly.
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