THE CHALLENGE
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PPE removed mid-operation
Workers began tasks correctly equipped but removed PPE during active furnace operations - the highest risk moment for injury.
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No continuous furnace zone monitoring
Supervisor checks could not provide real-time coverage across all furnace zones simultaneously during active operations.
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High severity of non-compliance
Furnace zone PPE violations carry immediate life-safety consequences - burns, and fatal injury risk with even momentary exposure.
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Extreme environment detection challenges
Heat haze, bright furnace light, and steam near active furnace zones created difficult visual conditions for accurate PPE detection.
THE SOLUTION
We deployed a computer vision system that continuously monitors all furnace zone entry points and active work areas. The system detects the presence and correct wearing of all six required PPE items per worker in real time. The moment any item is detected as missing or removed during an active operation, an instant alert is sent to the floor supervisor - enabling immediate intervention before exposure causes harm.
Flow: Live camera feed -> Worker detected in furnace zone -> All six PPE items checked simultaneously -> Missing or removed item detected -> Instant alert to supervisor -> Incident logged with image and timestamp
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Existing furnace zone cameras integrated, with additional coverage added at high-risk active work areas.
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Model trained to detect all six furnace-specific PPE items simultaneously - aluminised suit, face shield, heat resistant gloves, apron and safety boots.
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Mid-operation removal detection - system continuously monitors workers already in the zone, not just at entry point.
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Trained specifically on furnace zone conditions - heat haze, bright light, and steam accounted for in model training data.
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Instant supervisor alert on any violation with zone, worker location, missing item identified, and timestamp.
