Workplace Safety FAQs

Do I have to have a working internet connection for the system to work?

No.  The solution is completely Edge based.  All of the image capture, analysis of human entry in the red zone and output of that signal to mill control systems is done at the camera.  There is a system wide dashboard with live and review video that can be accessed by all stakeholders through the internet or client VPN. 

No.  This software for detecting a human in the red zone is included in the cost of the Axis camera.  

No.  The camera has onboard digital I/O that will send the red zone status by communication wires directly to the input card of the PLC.  There are options to use Modbus and Ethernet over IP but these systems require additional layers of failure and complexity.   

No.  Each camera acts independently to communicate the red zone detection to the machine control system and local enunciation.  There is no central server required.  The video can be stored on the camera or the video can be stored on a mill supplied virtual server.  This server supports the application to show live and stored video across any connected computer.   This server can fail – but has no effect on the system’s ability to communicate red zone detection to the machine controls.

All stakeholders (mill and ECS service) are notified by a PLC missed heartbeat which represents a camera failure.  A preconfigured camera is taken from mill spares and installed at this location.  The mill or ECS support changes the IP address and confirms the correct red zone overlay.   Other camera health conditions (camera moved, dirty, high temperature condition, camera down) are monitored via the connected server and email alarms are sent to stakeholders.   

Yes.  ‘Unsafe’ events are stored as well as all 24/7 video in the same manner as industry standard surveillance systems.  Live video can also be displayed on the machine floor, on the mill network and through the internet via mill VPN tunnels.  The red zone will be displayed on the live video on the machine floor.  

Yes

Yes.  The ECS/Axis solution is a two-fold safety system.   The blended solution of camera red zone detection coupled with PLC controls allows the PLC to stop the machine in unsafe actions.  But not all interactions between the machine and the human will dictate a machine stop or slow condition.  These unsafe conditions are still flagged for human review to understand why operators are forming habits that leave them exposed to future risk and harm.  Camera based safety solutions are designed to stop both the immediate harm to the operator while also understanding and identifying human interactions that may turn into life-changing and life ending events.  It is the ECS Safety Dashboard that develops the foundation of collecting and analyzing all human and machine interactions.  

A single camera can be configured within hours to identify human presence in red zone with a single POE Ethernet connection to the camera.  Onboard I/O can send red zone condition to a local siren, monitor and/or PLC.  Video can be stored and accessed through an onboard SD card.  This single building block can be later expanded to an unlimited number of cameras covering large and complex industrial machines that are fully integrated into multiple PLC systems nested within the mill network.  

No.  The mill is responsible for programming the PLC logic to determine an unsafe condition and machine actions when notified of human detection in the red zone.  

Since the human detection is done on the edge device – the AI engine is processing every frame at full resolution.  In standard applications this is 30 fps at 1920 x 1080.  On the other hand – cloud based solutions are required to significantly reduce the resolution before it’s process by the AI engine as this engine is not at the edge device.  For the single server computer and cloud service to process the image – it’s common to reduce the frame rate to 10 fps at 720 x 1080.  Reduced processed pixels means slower and less lifesaving information delivered to the solution.  

The ECS/Axis solution backbone is a full featured Video Management System (VMS) that stores every frame of the video regardless of human detection or not.  This is a critical feature to ensure that any event – even if the AI engine misses the human detection – is captured by the system.  In contrast – could based solutions typically only store a small portion of video around a human detection.  If the cloud based solution does not correctly identify a human in the red zone – no video is ever saved.  Even AI solutions can make mistakes but not having any video to analyze event is a poorly designed system.  

General FAQs

What is ECS’s cancellation policy?

In the event that a scheduled service visit needs to be cancelled or rescheduled, all requests must be made by contacting the Service Manager, Robert Cornette, at 704-625-8812 ext. 202. It is the responsibility of the site receiving service to ensure ECS has received the cancellation or rescheduling request.

All service visits are considered final when a PO is issued.

All cancellations and reschedules will be assessed a fee based on time and cost as necessary.

Rescheduling on Behalf of ECS:

In the event that ECS needs to reschedule a service visit, the service manager will reach out to the primary point of contact to communicate what has happened, and what will need to happen to fulfill the agreement.

What’s the fastest way I can order spare parts from ECS?

There are many ways to make a quote request. You can either:

1. Use our drop-down Quote Request Form here

2. Email your request to Quotes@ecsuptime.com

3. Talk to your ECS point of contact

Does ECS have training classes for technicians?

Yes, we do have mill-specific training available. We host an Advanced Training Class once a season to refresh those who want to be proficient with ECS Software.

If you are interested in signing up for our next Advanced Training Class, click on the button and fill out the form.