Preventing Manhole Safety Accidents with IoT and AI Technologies

Old Downtown Areas and Near Major Communication Facilities
Securing Know-How for Stable Operation of 100 Manholes
Remote Monitoring of Manhole Interior Information via IoT Network

Workers from SK Telecom and SK O&S are checking manhole interior information measured by IoT sensors on their smartphones and proceeding with the work.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Hye-seon] Manhole interiors and safety accidents can now be prevented using Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence technologies.

SK Telecom announced on the 30th that it will apply technology that allows users to check manhole accident risk factors threatening the safety of field workers and pedestrians through a smartphone application (app) to its infrastructure. SKT is expanding its manhole safety management solution that remotely monitors risk factors invisible to the naked eye?such as hazardous gas concentration, temperature and humidity, flooding, and whether the cover is open?using information and communication technology (ICT).

Manholes are useful facilities that help workers manage underground pipelines or sewers without excavation work. However, in old, sealed manholes, high concentrations of hazardous gases can cause suffocation accidents for workers. Safety accidents such as flooding or fire incidents inside manholes, or people falling into manholes, may also occur.

SKT optimized the solution according to communication manhole standards and installation environments through a pilot project last April. From the second half of this year, it expanded application to 100 sites, including areas suspected of gas generation, deep manholes with frequent work, manholes in old downtown areas, and manholes near major communication facilities.

The manhole safety management solution incorporates SK Telecom’s AI network management system ‘Tango,’ IoT networks, SK Shielders’ intelligent convergence security platform ‘Summits,’ and sensor technology from IoT specialist company Nable Communications.

‘Tango’ analyzes status information received from sensors installed in each manhole based on big data analysis and machine learning to determine abnormalities. Remote monitoring information can be checked on field workers’ smartphone apps, helping decide whether to proceed with work during heavy rain periods or when hazardous gas generation is a concern.

Data accumulated in the system is linked with SK Shielders’ AI-based information analysis in ‘Summits’ to enhance situational response capabilities. ‘Summits’ collects information for industrial site safety management using various IoT sensors and is a platform capable of immediate response to dangerous situations.

Through the manhole safety management solution, SKT continuously monitors hazardous gas generation trends and has established a process for field workers to check the internal environment of manholes in advance, thereby strengthening worker safety.

SKT plans to continuously expand the solution by reflecting field workers’ opinions, focusing on manholes in areas with high hazardous gas risk, near rivers, and in low-lying areas.