CONFINED SPACE FIRST
PipeGuardian writes work permits, atmosphere, loss of link, recovery and explosive-atmosphere exclusion as product constraints. First edition: dry, de-energised, non-explosive, recoverable scenes. A mapped code is not a certificate.
A common confined-space accident chain is unknown atmosphere, weak rescue readiness, and no way out after entry. A drone sent in without a permit, monitoring and a recovery plan does not lower risk. It moves risk from a person to “the kit is stuck, and someone still has to go down”. First sentence on this page: no explosive atmospheres; if it cannot be recovered, it does not fly.
Hong Kong’s Code of Practice on Safety and Health at Work in Confined Spaces, and mainland limited-space plus explosion-protection standards, all stress assessment, permit, monitoring, ventilation or isolation, and rescue. PipeGuardian maps that logic into the product. Applicability still belongs to the site owner and a qualified person. Reading this page is not a confined-space permit.
English pages carry the method set for English readers: system architecture, technology, target specifications, the 18-month roadmap, HK–SZ operations and evidence rules. Recovery is a design input on the technology page. Unverified numbers stay in the specs target column. Public claims stay inside the evidence gates.
FIVE CONTROLS
Any one control can veto the job. The safety officer’s stop right sits above completion rate.
Medium, diameter, entry, exit, allowed duration, supervisor and abort conditions in writing. Without a scene card the vehicle does not unlock from the dock. A highlight clip is not a permit. A scene card is a crew contract, the same discipline as a handover pack.
Oxygen, flammable gas and toxic gas before and during the job (CH₄, CO, H₂S, VOC by scene). Threshold breach aborts at once. Thermal imaging is not gas evidence. Unassessed explosive-mixture zoning is a ban. Sensing claims stay separate on the evidence page.
Loss of link is not “more autonomy”. Default: stop forward motion, try return or wait where recovery is possible, mark last position. Do not dress loss of link as an exploration feature. GNSS-denied localisation must carry a degradation alarm; a pose that is still publishing is not a pose that is still trusted.
After impact: cage, rotor clearance, battery temperature and leaks. Decontaminate before copying data. If recovery fails, escalate to a confined-space retrieve plan. Do not fly the next sortie. Kit that cannot be recovered is a new hazard in a confined space.
CE/FCC, an IP rating or an “industrial look” is not explosion protection. GB/T 3836 and related systems are a separate evidence gate. Until that gate, pressurised gas and explosive atmospheres stay excluded. “Referenced” on this page is not “certified”.
IN SCOPE
EXCLUDED