Drill Floor Access Control for Worker Presence and Equipment Stop
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Solution Overview
Problem
The safety of human workers on the drill floor is compromised due to the risk of being hit or crushed by automated equipment, particularly in areas with limited visibility and blind spots, where equipment operators must maintain high situational awareness to prevent hazardous situations and injuries.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising presence detection sensors, an entry input device, and a processing device that communicates with equipment to stop operations when a worker enters the restricted area, and allows controlled entry by sending signals to the driller for approval, ensuring equipment stops or operates in a limited mode to ensure worker safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If automated equipment operates on the drill floor, then productivity increases, but safety risk increases due to potential crushing or hitting of workers
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by detecting worker presence before equipment operations can cause harm. Presence detection sensors continuously monitor the drill floor and trigger equipment stop commands before any crushing or hitting can occur, preventing the harmful effect rather than responding to it after the fact.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system acts as an intermediary between workers and automated equipment. When a worker enters a restricted area, the system mediates by automatically stopping equipment operations, creating a safe buffer between the worker and potentially dangerous machinery without requiring direct human intervention.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If equipment operators maintain high situational awareness to prevent accidents, then worker safety improves, but operational complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-service by automatically monitoring worker presence and controlling equipment operations without requiring continuous human attention. The presence detection sensors and automated control system handle safety monitoring independently, freeing operators from the burden of maintaining constant situational awareness while ensuring consistent safety enforcement.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces the mechanical approach of human operators maintaining situational awareness with an automated electronic monitoring system. Presence detection sensors, processors, and automated control commands substitute for human vigilance, providing more reliable and consistent safety monitoring without the limitations of human attention and perception.
3Measurement precision
If presence detection sensors are deployed throughout the drill floor, then worker detection accuracy improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies local quality by placing presence detection sensors specifically in restricted areas where workers are most at risk, rather than uniformly throughout the entire drill floor. This targeted approach focuses detection resources on high-risk zones, improving detection accuracy where it matters most while minimizing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system merges multiple functions into the presence detection sensors, which simultaneously detect worker presence, determine location within restricted areas, and trigger appropriate equipment stop commands. This consolidation of detection and control functions reduces the number of separate components needed while maintaining comprehensive monitoring capability.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for safe drill floor access. An example method includes commencing operation of a processing device to operate a system for maintaining safety of a human worker in a restricted area of a drill floor during drilling operations. The processing device may receive a presence detection signal and output a first stop control command to the equipment to cause the equipment to stop operating. The processing device may receive an entry request signal, output an entry request indicator via an output device to a human driller within a drill rig control center, receive an entry grant input from the human driller granting entry to the human worker to enter the restricted area, and output a second stop control command to the equipment located in the restricted area to cause the equipment to stop operating in response to the received entry grant input.