According to the World Health Organisation, the number of people over the age of 60 will nearly double from 12% to 22% by 2050. At the same time the global fertility rate is falling rapidly meaning fewer young people are entering the workforce. As a result, companies are finding it increasingly harder to recruit and are asking older employees to stay on longer. This often means they need to invest in additional measures to enable them to do their job safely.
The Oil and Gas sector is an example of an industry that has been impacted by an ageing workforce. The pool of available workers has been getting smaller, creating difficulties in filling job vacancies, especially for more physically demanding jobs such as valve operators at big industrial plants.
Ageing infrastructure means that manually operating valves can be even more strenuous. In many cases, this job requires more than one worker taking extensive time and strength to open and close heavy handwheel operated valves. And these valves often get stuck due to weathering and impact from the process flow, which can lead to injury.
Sofis, a Halma company based in the Netherlands that manufactures valve operation systems, recognised the challenges its customers are facing in recruiting valve operators. This encouraged Sofis to develop a portable valve opening device that decreases the physical effort and time needed to operate valves manually.
Sofis has developed two solutions to choose from, based on each customer’s needs. The first is the EasiDrive which can be mounted onto an existing valve permanently. The operator then uses a light-weight portable drive tool to open and close the valve with ease. The second is the Power Wrench, a flexible solution that can be easily and quickly fitted to most valves making it the perfect tool for maintenance or one-off operations.
Both options allow for one person of any age or size to open a valve with minimal effort therefore reducing injury risk and increasing productivity. This helps create a safer working environment while minimising interruptions or shutdowns.
As the global workforce is ageing and becoming more diverse, the demand for such technologies will continue to increase. Sofis is one of many companies in the Halma Group delivering an innovative solution to protect people as they are working longer, creating a safer future for everyone, every day.
