Oil And Gas RTLS At a Glance
Client: Fortune 10 oil and gas company
Location: United States
Project Type: Plant turnaround (TAR)
Workforce Tracked: 1,200 contractors
Technology: UWB RTLS badges, collision warning system, automated mustering, GSM modems, SD card data backup
Lost Time Detected: $300,000 in the first week
Accidents After Implementation: Zero
A plant turnaround (TAR) is one of the most operationally intensive and financially consequential events in the oil and gas industry. Taking an entire section of a refinery or plant offline for inspection and revamp means every hour counts. For a Fortune 10 oil and gas company in the United States, managing 1,200 contractors across a complex site during a TAR required a technology solution capable of tracking workforce performance, enforcing safety protocols, and surviving the harsh conditions of an active industrial site.
Litum was selected to deploy its UWB RTLS solutions across the facility for the duration of the turnaround.
What Is an Oil and Gas Turnaround?
A turnaround (TAR) is a scheduled shutdown of a section of a plant or refinery for inspection, maintenance, and revamp. These events are planned in advance and involve large teams of contractors working under tight time and budget constraints. The loss of production during a TAR, combined with direct costs for labor, tools, heavy equipment, and materials, can significantly impact a company’s bottom line if the project runs over schedule.
The successful execution of a TAR requires a workforce that can scale rapidly, often to hundreds or thousands of contractors depending on complexity. Coordinating this workforce and keeping the project on schedule is a persistent challenge. As the American Petroleum Institute notes, operational efficiency and worker safety are the two non-negotiable priorities in any major oil and gas maintenance event.
The Business Problem
The Fortune 10 client faced three compounding challenges during turnaround operations:
Contractor Time Management
Efficiency is a critical concern during TARs. Contractors had historically been suspected of spending too much time in non-productive areas such as lunch tents, smoking areas, and entrances and exits. With project timelines measured in days and costs running into millions, even small inefficiencies compound quickly.
Equipment Safety
Ensuring safety around all moving equipment on site previously required deploying personnel manually around equipment while in motion to create a physical safety zone. This approach was labor-intensive, inconsistent, and did not scale effectively across a large, complex site.
Data Reliability
The site experienced frequent data outages. Any tracking system deployed for the TAR needed to account for connectivity loss and guarantee zero data loss throughout the project.
The Solution
Litum deployed an end-to-end UWB RTLS solution covering contractor tracking, collision warning, emergency mustering, and data resilience.
UWB RTLS Badge Tracking
Each of the 1,200 contractors was issued a battery-powered UWB RTLS badge on arrival at the site. Contractors were assigned to specific work areas with defined crafts, and their Litum Tag Badges tracked movement across the site in real time. Site management received a live view of contractor locations and time spent in each zone, enabling active monitoring of performance and productivity.
The system tracked time spent in defined zones and automatically detected outliers, generating reports that allowed management to identify and address lost time.
Collision Warning System
Litum’s Collision Warning System was installed on all moving equipment on site. This replaced the previous approach of deploying personnel manually around moving equipment and provided automated safety zones without additional labor requirements.
Emergency Mustering and Duress Alerts
Emergency buttons on each UWB RTLS badge were activated for SMS messaging in emergency cases. An automated mustering system was also deployed to eliminate manual procedures during crisis events such as a fire, supporting regulatory compliance and enabling rapid, accurate headcounts.
Data Resilience
GSM modems were installed to connect the site to a cloud server. SD cards were installed in all anchors to prevent data loss during connectivity outages, ensuring the system maintained a complete record regardless of site conditions. Due to C1D2 hazardous area requirements, anchors were powered by batteries and lifted 20 inches off the ground.
Challenges
- No power on site for anchors: Required battery-powered infrastructure and creative mounting solutions in a complex industrial environment
- Consistent data outages: Addressed through SD card backup in all anchors and GSM modem connectivity to cloud servers
- C1D2 compliance: All hardware was configured to meet hazardous area requirements for oil and gas environments
Results
$300K in lost time detected during the first week of implementation
Zero accidents recorded after collision warning system implementation
During the first week of deployment, the Litum RTLS system identified a $300,000 loss attributable to mismanaged contractor time. This visibility allowed site management to increase awareness, adjust contractor training, and take direct corrective action before the losses compounded further.
The Litum Collision Warning System was successfully deployed across all moving equipment. No accidents were recorded from the point of implementation, significantly reducing the need for the manual labor previously required to maintain physical safety zones around moving equipment.
The automated mustering solution delivered regulatory compliance and operational simplicity during emergency procedures. Emergency buttons were successfully used by contractors in duress, confirming the system’s reliability under real-world conditions.
Why RTLS Is Critical for Oil and Gas Turnarounds
Oil and gas turnarounds are time-compressed, high-stakes operations where every productivity gap and every safety incident carries disproportionate cost. RTLS addresses both dimensions simultaneously: it gives management the data to identify and close productivity gaps in real time, and it automates the safety monitoring that would otherwise require large numbers of dedicated personnel.
The Fortune 10 deployment demonstrates that RTLS provides measurable ROI even within a single week of operation. The $300,000 in lost time identified during the first week alone represents a direct return on the technology investment, before accounting for the accident reduction, mustering efficiency, or labor savings from automating equipment safety zones.
Learn more about Litum’s capabilities for oil and gas RTLS and how the same platform supports connected worker safety and emergency mustering across energy sector deployments.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do oil and gas organizations need RTLS solutions?
Oil and gas organizations operate large, hazardous facilities where manual tracking of workers and equipment creates both safety gaps and efficiency losses. Real-time location systems (RTLS) provide continuous visibility into personnel and asset locations across oil and gas facilities, enabling automated safety alerts, faster emergency response, and data-driven time tracking. During turnarounds in particular, where hundreds or thousands of contractors work under tight schedules, RTLS is one of the most effective tools for maintaining safety standards and operational efficiency.
How does RTLS improve safety and efficiency in oil and gas?
RTLS improves safety and efficiency in oil and gas by automating the monitoring tasks that previously required dedicated personnel. Zone-based geofencing alerts supervisors when workers enter hazardous zones without authorization. Collision warning systems protect workers around moving equipment. Automated mustering replaces manual headcounts during emergencies. On the efficiency side, time location systems track how long workers spend in each zone, identifying lost time and workflow bottlenecks that manual processes cannot detect.
What is the difference between RFID and RTLS?
RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) identifies an asset or person when they pass a specific reader, providing checkpoint-based data. RTLS (Real-Time Location System) provides continuous, active location data across an entire facility. In oil and gas environments, RTLS is preferred for worker safety and contractor tracking because it does not require workers to pass a fixed point to be located. The Litum deployment at the Fortune 10 TAR used UWB RTLS, which delivers sub-meter accuracy suitable for tracking systems in complex industrial environments.
Is RTLS the same as GPS?
RTLS and GPS serve similar purposes but operate differently. GPS relies on satellite signals and works outdoors, but loses accuracy or fails entirely inside buildings, tunnels, and dense industrial sites. RTLS uses a network of fixed anchors installed within the facility to triangulate tag positions indoors. This makes RTLS the appropriate technology for oil and gas facilities, refineries, and other industrial environments where GPS is unavailable or unreliable.
Planning a turnaround or managing a complex industrial site? Explore Litum’s oil and gas RTLS solutions and see all industrial case studies at litum.com/industrial-case-studies/.
