WHY USE HUMANS WHEN WE HAVE ROBOTS?

Molly Cooper explores no-man entry tank cleaning robots and why there is no longer a need for humans to do the job. No-man entry tank cleaning in the sector has grown over recent years. Companies have an obligation to protect their staff and keep them out of harm’s way. Entering tanks is not an easy task and requires qualified, registered personnel. ‘Thinking about what is considered the worst kind of manual labours, in terms of working environment and type of manual activity, tank cleaning definitely fits the description,’ says Daniel Devò, export sales manager at Gerotto. According to a 2021 survey by Re-Gen Robotics, there is overwhelming industry support for no-man entry robotic tank cleaning. 86% of survey respondents expressed a preference for 100% no-man entry robotic tank cleaning at their terminal. The main concern with human involvement being death or injury (76%), followed by an environmental incident (61%) leading to tanks being out of commission for longer than scheduled. However, the industry will always need humans; people are vital to the workforce as operators of the technology but their safety must be a priority. ‘Employees working with oil storage...