September 25, 2019

Accenture and Chevron Win Innovation Award for System That Uses Digital Technology to Improve Worker Safety in Crane Operations

CraneTagz system receives top honor in Oil & Gas category at EHS Innovation Awards

ATLANTA; Sept. 25, 2019 – An innovative digital safeguard for crane operations designed by Accenture (NYSE: ACN) and Chevron received the 2019 EHS Most Innovative Award in Oil & Gas at the EHS Innovation Awards 2019 of the independent research firm Verdantix in Atlanta.

Known as CraneTagz, the system increases workers’ awareness of heavy equipment, including crane and forklift operations, providing visual and audio alerts to operators and workers who get too close to these hazards. Using ultra-wideband tracking (UWB) technology, CraneTagz determines the position of a worker wearing a special badge with an accuracy of six inches. Telemetry sensors also determine the position of crane loads to ensure safe work distances.

The system emerged from collaboration between Accenture and Chevron, including design-thinking workshops and rapid prototyping at Accenture’s Innovation Hub in Houston. There, discussions by industry subject matter experts and an internet of things engineer led to the idea of marrying UWB with telemetry sensors, which are at the heart of the solution.

“CraneTagz is a great example of our efforts to improve workplace safety using new technologies that were previously not applied together in our industry,” said David Boroughs, the Chevron manager who proposed the idea through a company-wide innovation challenge. “We’re very encouraged by the system’s test results on a large fixed crane in Houston and on an overhead gantry crane and with forklifts in Southern Louisiana. We plan to deploy and further test it on a working offshore crane and then scale it while evaluating similar uses for the system in training and worker productivity.”

Sarah Crabb, Industry X.0 practice lead at Accenture’s Houston Innovation Hub, said, “This new system, which can contribute to life-saving actions, is just one of many new approaches to managing workplace safety through creative and collaborative approaches that challenge the status quo. We greatly appreciate Chevron trusting Accenture and our collaborative process on such a mission-critical project.”

About Accenture
Accenture is a leading global professional services company, providing a broad range of services and solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations. Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries and all business functions — underpinned by the world’s largest delivery network — Accenture works at the intersection of business and technology to help clients improve their performance and create sustainable value for their stakeholders. With 482,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries, Accenture drives innovation to improve the way the world works and lives. Visit us at www.accenture.com.

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Contacts:

Guy Cantwell
Accenture
+1 281 900 9089
guy.cantwell@accenture.com

Matt Corser
Accenture
+44 755 784 9009
matthew.corser@accenture.com