Crawler Tech Tips: Safe Deployment of Your Crawler
While operation of your Versatrax™ crawler system is relatively straight-forward, there are a few ways to deploy Inuktun crawler systems in the field to avoid injury or damage to the equipment.
- Road Safety – With a large majority of pipe inspection work paralleling that of a road service crew, it is important to observe good traffic safety protocols when on busy streets and around moving vehicles.
- Personal Safety – With some our systems weighing as much as 105 kgs, personal safety to should always be paramount. Every member of the inspection team should wear standard personal safety equipment including: steel toed boots, safety vests, hard hats and gloves. Staff should follow heavy lifting procedures and overhead lifting protocols if crane deployment is used. In addition, you should always follow your local work-safe legislation and guidelines.
- System Safety – Inuktun advises that onsite crews have a minimum of three people; two crawler deployment handlers and one console operator. Crawler handlers should be responsible for configuring the vehicle for pipe, lowering the crawler into and out of entry points, watching the tether bend radius as the vehicle enters and exits pipe (observing for sufficient vertical and horizontal clearance behind winch for tether movement) and operating the winch. Console operators should be responsible for driving vehicle, watching the pipe inspection and assessing whether pipe is in condition for safe passage of vehicle.
Overall, establishing a good channel of communication between operator and deployment handlers avoids accidents and damage to personal and equipment.
