Voice of Danger: How AI Hears Risks Before They Become Reality

From Formalism to Real Control: Why Production Needs Speech Analytics

Traditional production control often turns into a formality: logs are filled out in offices, and real risks go unnoticed until a tragedy occurs. Vladimir Stasyuk, Head of the Department for Digitalization and Transformation of HSE Processes at Norilsk Nickel, analyzes this problem using a real accident where a formally functional pipeline caused an employee's death. To eliminate the human factor and shift from a reactive to a proactive approach, the company implemented an AI-based speech analytics system.

How Voice-Based Production Control Works

Instead of filling out paper logs or cumbersome electronic forms on explosion-proof smartphones, workers use natural dialogue. The speaker demonstrates how a foreman and a worker discuss the condition of equipment and potential risks, recording the conversation on a phone.

• Transcription in noisy environments: The system converts voice to text, successfully handling the high noise levels of the mine (recognition accuracy reaches 90-95%) and specific industrial slang.
• Automatic checklist generation: The neural network analyzes the dialogue, distributes answers according to set parameters, and automatically generates a checklist without manual data entry.
• Instant problem escalation: When critical risks or unsatisfactory assessments are identified, the system automatically sends notifications to the mine's management for prompt response.

Implementation Challenges and Working with Personnel

The implementation of any new technology faces resistance. The presentation details the process of adapting employees to the new work format. People found it difficult to articulate their thoughts out loud and remember the checklist structure. To solve this problem, safety culture trainers were involved, training materials were developed, and the practice of "mystery shopping" was introduced. A key success factor was the involvement of the mine's management, who demonstrated the importance of the new approach by personal example.

Prospects for Technology Development

In addition to automating production control, speech analytics opens up new opportunities for optimizing business processes. The speaker notes the potential of using the technology to assess the psycho-emotional state of workers based on their speech analysis, which could be a step towards predictive analytics. Furthermore, voice data entry can significantly simplify routine tasks, such as inventory or product accounting, reducing infrastructure costs compared to video analytics systems.

What you will learn from this webinar:

• How to automate the completion of production control checklists using voice messages?
• How does the neural network handle industrial noise, slang, and profanity?
• How to overcome personnel resistance when implementing new digital tools?
• How to integrate speech analytics results into the corporate risk management system?
• What prospects does voice analysis open for assessing the psycho-emotional state of employees?