Category: Insights

How to use AI in emergency response

Imagine the following scenario unfolding in the North Sea. At 2am on Sunday, the pressure in the subsea pipeline carrying gas from the processing plant in Norway to Europe suddenly starts to drop, and the control systems also experience unusual signals and irregularities. Can artificial intelligence (AI) be used to streamline handling and decision-making in such an emergency situation?

Let’s put it to rest right away; AI is here to stay. And it’s already being used at various levels of emergency response today. Artificial intelligence (AI) has enormous potential to improve emergency preparedness and response. By leveraging AI technology, businesses can better predict, detect, respond to and manage different types of crises, from natural disasters to man-made events.

But first, how can we ensure that AI is used in the most effective and responsible way?

– We humans are vulnerable to large amounts of information that need to be processed. This is where AI can help us sort and structure the amount of information. For example, AI can help decision-makers by providing real-time analysis and forecasts based on available data, in other words producing decision support This can be particularly useful in chaotic situations where quick decisions are crucial. But, and this is a big but, we still have to use our human critical thinking skills since AI does not critically question whether we are making the right choices, nor can it make the decisions for us,” says Hanne Cook, preparedness and security expert at Proactima.

Hanne Cook and colleague and innovation expert Surbhi Bansal recently took to the stage at this year’s Beredskapskonferanse to explain how AI can be used to streamline management and decision-making in emergency situations.

So how can we actually use AI in emergency situations?

– AI models can be used to identify patterns or anomalies in data. This can be useful for detecting unauthorized activity, such as sabotage or terrorist attacks, as well as for monitoring cyber security and detecting hacking attempts. In terms of surveillance, AI can be used to monitor critical infrastructure such as bridges, roads and buildings to detect structural weaknesses or damage. AI can also be used to automate repetitive tasks, such as sending out emergency alerts, sorting information and coordinating task forces. This frees up human resources to focus on more complex tasks,” explains Surbhi.

Is it safe to use AI to develop decision support in an emergency situation?

– While AI can help us improve our situational awareness through the production of decision support, the question is what the risk picture will be when introducing AI into the management of emergency situations. Introducing AI-based systems is like introducing even more uncertainty and risk into an already complex system. KI can’t make the assessment for you and data quality is crucial. In the context of emergency preparedness, such tasks are not without risk. AI can also lead to uncertainty, risk, bottlenecks and poor explanations. This can often mean that the business does not have a sufficient understanding of how to control and verify AI-produced output and to what extent decision-makers should trust them,” says Surbhi.

From left: Hanne Cook and Surbhi Bansal during the Preparedness Conference 24. May 2024.

A (not entirely unlikely) contingency scenario

Back to our scenario. Since we already know that critical infrastructure is considered a likely target based on the security situation in Norway, is this sabotage or a technical error?

— In our subsea pipeline scenario, AI can be used to detect unauthorized tampering with equipment, monitor vessel movements in nearby and high-security areas, and detect suspicious activities in the network. In surveillance and monitoring, AI-assisted drones are already being used to patrol sensitive areas. They also have great potential for collecting data and estimating the trajectory of gas dispersion if the pipeline starts to leak. Subsequently, AI can be used to remotely control the delivery of necessary equipment and tools to quickly repair the pipeline,” explains Surbhi, adding that AI can also be used for communication, speech recognition and translations in the coordination work with relevant stakeholders.

Don’t forget human critical thinking

Hanne and Surbhi explain that the challenges of AI are amplified when dealing with an emergency situation – as these situations tend to be infrequent, stressful, fast-paced and highly uncertain. In order for AI to increase efficiency and provide good decision support in an emergency situation, Hanne and Surbhi encourage you to have:

  • Understanding how the technology works
  • Understand how machines arrive at what they show us
  • Understand how human factors come into play in a decision-making process
  • Human in the loop – human factors knowledge about the use of AI models in emergency management – to avoid the pitfalls that arise when humans have to work together with machines in a critical situation

Proactima already uses AI support to streamline risk analysis through our Dmaze tool. We have already come a long way in using AI to streamline processes before an incident occurs; risk analyses, exercise planning, support for preparing contingency plans, conducting exercises/training, etc.

Do you want to know more about how we use AI in emergency preparedness work today, or do you want input on how your company should work with AI in emergency preparedness? Get in touch with us for a chat!

He leads the country’s strongest team in occupational hygiene

Few people have heard of occupational hygiene. Nevertheless, it is absolutely essential for the Norwegian working environment. Bror Johan Tørneng Wik leads one of the country’s strongest occupational hygiene team that contributes to a safer working life.

Throughout his working life, Bror has worked with occupational hygiene. He has worked with HSE and chemical management in companies such as Maersk and the predecessors of Aker BP. Today, he leads the Health and Working Environment group at Proactima.

Increasing wellbeing and reducing illness for people at work – a place where many of us spend much of our lives – is the main motivation for me,” he begins.

Occupational hygiene is in short supply

Proactima’s occupational hygiene team assists companies with consultancy, risk mapping, risk management, chemical audits – and much more. The expertise of occupational hygiene experts is also important for the country’s occupational health services.

Bror Johan Tørneng Wik, group leader for Health and Working Environment at Proactima, leads one of the country’s strongest professional environments in occupational hygiene.

– The companies we work for know the working environment best – and so we need to work together on how to make things better in their workplace. We make a difference to individuals; at the same time, there is no doubt that good occupational hygiene is important on a socio-economic level.

He is supported by colleague Hans Thore Smedbold, who, in addition to being an occupational hygienist, is also chairman of the Norwegian Occupational Hygiene Association. Smedbold believes that collaboration with occupational health services is important.

– Expertise in occupational hygiene is in short supply in society. Occupational health services are not getting the right expertise and are being filled with healthcare professionals – of which there are too few in this country. At the same time, we have a strong professional environment here that can support them and help the companies. It’s a win-win situation for us, for occupational health services and for health Norway, says Smedbold.

Our occupational hygienists often assist in these industries:

  • Oil and gas
  • Industry
  • Building and construction
  • Occupational health service

Several factors affect the working environment

According to Smedbold, the occupational hygiene profession creates major ripple effects in society. In its simplest sense, the profession is about preventing people from getting sick at work. In purely economic terms, sick leave is a major burden for those who fall ill, as well as being costly for companies and the state.

Hans Thore Smedbold is an occupational hygienist at Proactima and head of the Norwegian Occupational Hygiene Association.

It is therefore important to avoid people being affected by serious illness, which in the worst case scenario reduces life expectancy and quality of life.

– There are several industries where working conditions lead to cancer or COPD. For example, in a workplace with welding fumes or a lot of silica dust. This may be due to companies having difficulty understanding how dangerous their working environment is, because some limit values for welding fumes and dust exposure are outdated, and legislation is not updated according to current knowledge of the risk factors, says Smedbold.

A well-trained occupational hygienist knows this and will avoid using these limits,” he adds.

With today’s knowledge, the risk factors can be mapped in advance. For example, Proactima can assist with a professional assessment before a building and construction project is initiated.

Did you know that Proactima is working to update the legislation? We share our knowledge with politicians and other professionals and work to ensure that the limit values for hazardous chemicals and particles are up-to-date and health-based. Read more about this later.

Standing on several legs

External factors such as chemicals are a known risk factor in many workplaces. However, interpersonal relationships can also have a very negative impact on the working environment – and are categorized as a risk factor.

– A typical issue we work with can be a workplace that is experiencing sky-high levels of conflict in the workplace. A labor dispute can be highly charged and many employees can become ill from the environment. With technical tools such as surveys and assessments, we can support a business with conflict management and solutions. Our uniqueness is that we solve occupational health issues combined with management support and risk management to find holistic solutions for our customers, says Bror.

That’s why most of the occupational hygienists at Proactima have multidisciplinary backgrounds. Multidisciplinarity is one of the reasons why the environment is so academically robust.

– Some of us are ergonomists at heart, others, like myself, work with chemical management. Together, we make up a versatile and professionally strong team that works closely with the rest of Proactima’s consultants to promote a safe and sustainable society, Bror concludes.

Interested in joining the team – or hearing more about the services we offer?

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