Worksite safety will be essential to Enel achieving its Zero Accidents objective, and this is why Enel Research has been working to identify innovative technology that can be used in ZAP – the Zero Accidents Project.
The ZAP programme aims to improve and support monitoring of the use ofself-protection devices, emergency management, interference management and information for employees by using new sensor and automation technology to monitor online the safety of employees and contracting workers even in complex industrial sites such as building sites or operating power plants.
Over the last few years, Enel has begun a series of important partnerships as part of the ZAP project, such as implementing the Future Enel initiative in Slovakia with MIT and working with technology company Contac and the University of Chile, the latter of which saw the creation of a predictive monitoring system for Endesa Chile plants.
Among the solutions being tested in Italy is the Safety Door, which automatically checks safety devices. It has an electronic passage that reads a worker's badge and safety equipment, opening the door or the turnstile only if everything is as it should be.
The idea is that workers will wear a device connected to the badge, revealing in real time if safety devices are being worn. The Safety Door could also interface with devices that monitor the health of workers, such as their heart rate.
After a successful experimental phase carried out at the Experimental Area in Livorno, the Safety Door is currently undergoing full-scale operational testing at the Brindisi facility's coal domes construction site.