Artificial intelligence (AI) excels at analyzing data accurately and efficiently. While those advantages apply to virtually any industry, high-risk working environments may benefit from them more than most. Hazmat response is one of the more niche but promising use cases for this technology.
What Is Hazmat Response?
Hazmat response refers to the management of incidents involving hazardous materials. OSHA recognizes
These response plans typically follow eight steps:
- Site management
- Hazard identification
- Risk evaluation
- Protective equipment
- Information management
- Implementing an action plan
- Decontamination
- Post-incident review
What each of these steps looks like varies between incidents. In all cases, organizations must tackle each one carefully but quickly to minimize damage to equipment and protect nearby people. While that typically falls to human experts, AI brings needed improvements to the entire process.
How AI Improves Hazmat Response
The use of AI in hazmat response is a relatively new practice, but it has several promising applications. Here are a few of the most significant ways AI can improve this area.
1. Automated Record-Keeping
AI’s potential in hazmat response begins before an incident ever occurs. An informed cleanup plan is only possible with thorough record-keeping — AI ensures this documentation is up-to-date and accurate.
The EPA requires annual reports for any facility storing
Automated record-keeping is important outside of regulatory reporting. AI can automatically adjust documents as storage levels or conditions change so emergency responders have the most up-to-date information possible when an accident happens. Similarly, AI can gather data from across an organization to provide a comprehensive record that’s easier to access and read.
2. Automatic Alerts
Once a hazmat incident occurs, AI enables a faster response. Machine learning models can analyze Internet of Things (IoT) data to detect leaks, spills and other hazards in real-time. They can then alert relevant stakeholders the same way security monitoring solutions do during a data breach.
Since AI can respond in real time, it minimizes emergency response times even when labor shortages limit available staff. Similarly, AI on the responders’ side can field calls to ensure only real emergencies go through to call centers, giving them more time and resources to react appropriately. Some facilities already use AI to manage
When recognizing and communicating an incident takes less time, organizations can contain it before it causes much damage. This speed will become all the more valuable as worker shortages grow.
3. Hazard Identification
AI can also help hazmat responders identify materials faster and more accurately. Manufacturers generate around
Humans may be unable to identify hazmats by eye, requiring testing to determine their makeup if no documentation is available. AI can perform similar tests by analyzing sensor data alongside machine vision readings. Because AI can perform this analysis faster and more accurately, this automation lets teams respond appropriately in less time.
Once AI has identified a material, it becomes clear how to clean it up safely. Making that decision in minimal time is often key to protecting employee health, especially that of the emergency responders.
4. Physical Automation
In some cases, AI can even automate physical response tasks. Cleaning up a chemical spill is dangerous work. Consequently, it makes sense to use robots to get close to the hazmats instead, and AI makes these machines more reliable.
Machine vision and real-time sensor analysis let robots identify hazards while human operators stay a safe distance. AI-equipped drones have detected small amounts of radioactive material
As robotics technology advances, AI-powered robots could also clean and contain a chemical spill. When this practice becomes mainstream, hazmat incidents will cause far less damage.
5. Preventing Future Incidents
AI also improves the last step in hazmat response. Many organizations already
Over time, businesses will accumulate data on past hazmat accidents. Predictive analytics solutions can analyze these datasets to find trends, such as frequent mistakes or common causes of these incidents. Safety managers can use these insights to refine their operations to prevent similar situations in the future.
The more data AI models get on this subject, the more accurate they become. Consequently, hazmat responses can grow increasingly reliable over time.
AI Provides Crucial Support for Emergency Responses
Hazmat response may not be the most glamorous AI application, but it is a critical one. AI’s speed and accuracy ensure businesses can prevent many chemical accidents and minimize the damage in incidents that do occur.
Emergency responses become increasingly crucial as supply chain operations accelerate but workforce challenges rise. Automation through AI is the ideal answer. As more organizations embrace this opportunity, this technology could reshape industrial health and safety.