Smarter Technologies, the leading British provider of Internet-of-Things (IoT) solutions, has completed stage one of a rolling programme to support health and safety compliance at His Majesty’s Naval Base (HMNB) Portsmouth. Working closely with the base infrastructure team, the new legionella risk management capability is one of several innovative digital solutions implemented by Smarter Technologies at the dockyard, aimed at improving operational outcomes for the Royal Navy, effectively and efficiently. Across a range of functions, the combination of IoT data capture and cloud computing has made transformative empirical evidence available to Portsmouth’s operational and strategic decision-makers. The team will be at DVD (18/19 September) to discuss this and their other IoT solutions.
The latest capability has revolutionised the management of water hygiene, which is a key factor for health and safety at any organisational premises. Responsibility is governed by statutory legislation and strictly enforced, and it includes the control of water-borne bacteria, such as legionella, which can cause Legionnaires’ disease. Careful and persistent management is required to ensure that water systems function compliantly, and that legionella is controlled. It is particularly important, and made more difficult, in mixed estates with aging infrastructure and spaces that are used irregularly, which are common features of many Defence facilities.
Targeting the historic Wardroom at HMNB Portsmouth as a potential at risk accommodation block, Smarter Technologies has positioned IoT sensors strategically around the building’s water system, to monitor the temperature at which it is stored and distributed, in real-time, and enable HSE-recommended temperatures to be pro-actively maintained. They have also installed automated flushing units at key outlets. These ensure periodic and programmable water flows, to contain the risk of stagnation and the growth of legionella. Data captured by these edge devices is passed to Smarter Technologies’ secure cloud platform via “Orion”, a proprietary LPWAN (low powered wide area communications network), which is optimised for large and complex estates by its combination of range, structural penetration and bandwidth. The captured data is presented back to the user in “SmarterView”, an intuitive, secure, web-based user interface where programmable alerts and notifications can be created, trends can be viewed and reports compiled.
With Smarter Technologies’ IoT solution installed in this potential risk space, HMNB Portsmouth has been able to assure water hygiene much more effectively and far more efficiently. Legionella is consistently suppressed at safe levels, emerging risks are identified and addressed immediately to avoid actionable events, time spent on manual temperature checks and flushes has been slashed, and the automated system provides an auditable record of due diligence.
Fubara Pepple, Head of Strategic Asset Management at Portsmouth, said, “We have worked closely with Smarter Technologies to ensure any potential risk to water supplies is identified at an early stage therefore making it much easier to keep our people safe.”
Mark Read, Chief Executive of Smarter Technologies Group said, “We’ve been delighted to work so closely with the HMNB Portsmouth team. They understand the value that our Orion systems can bring and have embraced the use of targeted technology innovation.”
