For anyone who is a part of the management of a city, building, facility, warehouse, or other pieces of infrastructure that uses electricity and water, they are well acquainted with the high cost of utilities as well as the difficulties that can come with maintaining them. Utility workers are responsible for a wide variety of tasks including various construction duties, installation, repair and maintenance of mains, service lines, meters, hydrants, and other apparatuses. They are responsible for ensuring water and electricity throughout the city, building or facility runs smoothly and efficiently. Should a problem arise, they are the first to respond.
Utility workers need equipment and technology that improves their job while also tracking all repairs, maintenance, and updates that need to be or have been made throughout the city, building or facility. Rugged tablets for utility workers are easing the tasks associated with the job while improving and streamlining processes and the tracking of repairs and maintenance. Rugged tablets both make the job easier and aid in transmitting work requests, dispatching team members and tracking repairs city or facility-wide.
Water utility field teams can greatly benefit from the use of DT Researchs rugged tablets. Work assignments can be sent through the tablet via the shared network between the office and field workers. GIS maps are used on the tablet to find work areas as well as their water channels and foundation.
Once a worker arrives on the scene, the tablet then becomes the perfect assistant to the worker in the field – precisely accurate photos are taken on location reducing the workload of having to take images and then upload them back at the office at a different time. The actions are recorded and reported within the tablet improving the efficiency of processes in the field and communication with coworkers – if a repair is made it is documented in real-time so all parties with access to the network will receive the update on the repair. If a hydrant or water line is being inspected and an issue is found during inspection – the rugged tablet will track this need so that the appropriate person can be notified to return to the exact location on the map and make the repair.
In addition, field workers can email and add the back-office frameworks while in the field, allowing for real-time communication by means of built-in 3G/4G and Wi-Fi with office-based associates.
5 Ways Rugged Tablets Aid Utility Workers
- Meter Data Collection – Rugged tablets can be used to convey and gather field information and send work order notices while in the field. Tracking when repairs are made or when they are needed to include the location of the exact meter that needs maintenance.
- Real-Time Communication – From service connection to disconnection requests, outages and disruptions notices, rugged tablets send out clearer and faster communication enabling real-time updates, status reports, and work order submissions.
- GIS Mapping – Technicians use rugged tablets to effectively recognize, find and maintain resources in different settings whether it is a city or remote setting. The built-in GPS, rugged design, and easy handling make it possible to view and control point-by-point maps and visuals even in remote areas.
- Workflow Enhancement– utility workers with the use of rugged tablets can now work faster and with improved accuracy by eliminating errors, lost orders, notices, and inefficiencies by removing paper recording and manual data entry.
- Worker Safety – the safety of workers is enhanced with the use of rugged tablets and the 3D RealSense camera. The use of advanced technology means inspections for water leaks or gas leaks in a pipe can be done through technology instead of sending a human in an unknown and potentially unsafe environment to inspect maintenance needs.
Rugged tablets are improving the ways in which utility field workers carry out their responsibilities day-to-day. In numerous organizations, they cut down on human errors from data input, while permitting remote transmission of timetables, meter readings, and other data. Combining rugged tablets with specialized utility and field administration programs brings the ability for customized tasks, helping utility workers go through their everyday fieldwork more efficiently.