In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, remote working has become the norm, increasing the demand for remote inspections and audits in the oil and gas sector. Today, the availability of digital tools and technology are making it possible to conduct “virtual” on-site inspections.

In terms of business productivity, the use of remote inspection technologies translates into 20% faster problem resolution and a 70% gain in overall productivity. Going by a ReportLinker study, the global market for digital inspection technology is projected to be valued at $28.9 billion by 2025.

‍Further, SMEs and OEMs in the oil and gas sector can significantly reduce travel-related costs using remote inspection methods. Next, we shall see how these Oil & Gas enterprises can boost workforce productivity using remote inspection and audit technologies.

7 Ways of Conducting Remote Inspections and Audits

How can a Frontline Workforce Productivity platform help SME’s and OEM’s conduct remote inspections and audits with better results

Using remote collaboration.

With digital technologies, remote inspections can be performed by technicians based in another country. Remote collaboration tools can also reduce (or eliminate) the costs of travelling to geographically distant sites or locations.

Additionally, a step-by-step instruction guide can enhance the effectiveness of remote inspection and improve workforce efficiency.

Enabling faster issue resolution.

Production downtime has proved to be a major scourge for oil and gas SMEs and OEMs. To address issues causing frequent downtime, technicians need to regularly visit sites (with complex machinery and processes) thus, adding to the travel costs.

Meanwhile, experienced technicians and engineers can now collaborate from Internet-enabled remote locations to troubleshoot on-site issues and enable faster resolution.

Ensuring safety compliance using audits.

For the oil and gas sector, compliance with safety regulations can be a "lifesaver" for frontline operators. Using digital technologies, auditors can perform remote risk analysis on equipment and processes, and verify if they are compliant with standard accreditations and certifications.

To ensure compliance, remote auditors now have documented access to all executed actions and processes that need to be followed.

Managing supplier deviations.

As part of standard inspections, SMEs also need to manage supplier deviations—for example, material replacements or any changes in drawings—from the original plan. Through remote inspection, supplier deviations can be monitored and managed through remote troubleshooting and technical expertise.

Completing inspections & audits on time.

Delays in inspections and audits can reduce operational efficiencies and add to operational costs of SMEs and OEMs. On-time remote inspections are crucial for meeting deadlines and verifying if site operators have completed their daily tasks on time.

Remote audits also ensure if all the best practices have been followed and help in reducing the travel time required for additional audits. Further, guided workflows can also accelerate inspection-related tasks thus enabling them to be completed on time.

Analyzing data trends and patterns.

Manual inspections and audits can help organizations meet their safety and compliance requirements, but there is limited scope to leverage paper-based reports. Digitally, remotely located experts can track inspection and audit data using a centralized dashboard.

Additionally, data visualization can be leveraged to gain valuable insights from data patterns including deviations, anomalies, and reported issues that can lead to better decision-making.

Collecting and accessing data.

With a centralized database and tools, data collection can be made structured and organized. This collected data can be retrieved in the future for training and reporting purposes from the central repository.

Conclusion

In short, remote inspections and audits enable multiple benefits for SMEs and OEMs in terms of improved efficiency, higher productivity, and reducing costs including travel-related costs.

By providing remote visibility into frontline operations, Atheer has enabled energy companies to manage multiple pain points including facility commissioning, inspections and surveys, audits, and more. With Atheer, you can empower your frontline workforce with facilities such as AR-based video assistance, chat and group messaging, work instructions, business processes, learning and training, and document sharing.