Application of RFID Tool Carts in Electric Energy

The application of RFID Tool carts in the power energy industry is crucial because it directly relates to the **personal safety of workers, the stable operation of the power grid, and the operational efficiency of Assets**. This industry has stricter and more standardized requirements for tool management, especially the management of **safety tools**, than other industries.

The following are detailed applications of RFID tool carts in the power energy sector:

### I. Core Application Scenarios

**1. Mandatory Periodic Verification Management of Safety Tools**

* **Scenario Description**: Safety tools such as insulating gloves, insulating boots, voltage detectors, grounding wires, and safety helmets must undergo periodic preventive testing (withstand voltage testing, etc.) according to national regulations (such as the "Preventive Testing Regulations for Power Safety Tools"). Only after passing these tests can they continue to be used. Using them beyond their expiration date poses an extremely serious safety hazard.

* **RFID Application**:

* Each safety tool is bound to an RFID tag, which Stores information such as the tool ID, name, last test date, next test date, and test results.

* When workers retrieve tools from the RFID tool cart, the system automatically determines their status.

* **Core Function: Automatic Locking Upon Expiration**. Once a tool exceeds its testing cycle, the tool cart will issue an audible and visual alarm and **prohibit the tool from being taken out**, preventing unqualified tools from entering the work site at the source.

**2. Emergency Repair and On-Site Work Management**

* **Scenario Description**: Power emergency repairs, line inspections, substation maintenance, and other operations typically require driving Engineering vehicles to the site. Inventorying tools before departure and upon return is a tedious yet crucial task.

* **RFID Application**:

* **Vehicle-Mounted RFID Tool Cart/Cabinet**: Installed on the engineering vehicle, serving as a mobile tool depot.

* **Departure Verification**: Before departure, staff collect tools according to the task list; the system quickly verifies to ensure all necessary tools are brought.

* **Return Inventory**: Upon return, tools are returned to the vehicle, and the system instantly completes the inventory. **An immediate alarm is triggered if any tools are missing**, preventing expensive instruments (such as partial discharge detectors) or critical safety tools (such as grounding wires) from being left behind at field poles, substations, etc., causing asset loss and safety risks. **3. Intelligent Tool warehouse Management in Substations/Power Supply Stations**

* **Scenario Description**: Traditional tool warehouses in substations or power supply stations rely on administrators and paper records, resulting in low efficiency and a high risk of errors.

* **RFID Application**:

RFID tool carts or large RFID intelligent tool cabinets serve as the core management unit of the warehouse.

* Enables **24-hour unmanned Library-self-service-borrowing-and-returning-machine-source-manufacturer-UHF-touch-screen-borrowing-and-returning-machine.html target='_blank'>self-service tool issuance and return**. Employees can operate by swiping their cards, and the system automatically records the transactions.

* Managers can remotely view the warehouse's tool inventory and issuance records in real time, achieving refined and transparent management.

**4. Shift Handover Management**

* **Scenario Description**: Tool handover between operation and maintenance shifts, and between day and night shifts.

* **RFID Application**: During shift handover, all tools are returned at once, and the system generates a "handover list." The receiving shift issues tools all at once, and the system generates a new responsibility list. The entire process is fast, accurate, and clearly defined, completely eliminating disputes during shift handover.

**5. Double Insurance for Grounding Wire Management**

* **Scenario Description**: Grounding wires are the "last line of defense" protecting workers' lives, and their management must be foolproof. Traditional "tag-based" management may have oversights.

* **RFID Application**:

* Each set of grounding wires has an RFID tag.

* During operation, the system records when, where, and by whom each set of grounding wires was used.

* After the operation is completed, the system must confirm that all grounding wires have been **fully returned** before closing the work permit. This provides a technical "double insurance" for the "**quantity check** of grounding wires," preventing catastrophic accidents such as closing the grounding switch while the circuit is energized.

### II. Major Problems Solved and Value Brought

| Problems Solved | Core Value Brought |

| :--- | :--- |

| **1. Expired Use of Safety Tools** | **Core Safety Value**: Technically enforces that only qualified safety tools within their validity period can be used, directly protecting the lives of workers and preventing electric shock accidents caused by tool failure. | | **2. Tools Lost on Site** | **Asset and Safety Value**: Prevents the loss of high-value instruments and avoids common tools left on equipment causing operational malfunctions (e.g., small wrenches left in switch cabinets). | | **3. Unstandardized Tool Issuance and Return, Unclear Responsibility** | **Management Value**: Achieves precise binding of "person-tool-time-location," assigning responsibility to individuals, ensuring transparent processes, and facilitating traceability and assessment. | | **4. Low Efficiency of Tool Inventory** | **Efficiency Value**: Reduces the time required for manual inventory checks from several hours to seconds, greatly freeing up the energy of team members and administrators. | | **5. Disconnect between Work Permit and Physical Material Management** | **Process Compliance Value**: Can be integrated with the **work permit management system** of power companies to achieve closed-loop management of "receiving materials with a permit" and "cleaning up the site after work and materials are used up," meeting the lean management requirements of companies such as State Grid and China Southern Power Grid. |

### III. Typical Workflow (Taking Emergency Repair Operation as an Example)

1. **Order Receipt**: The emergency repair team receives a work permit.

2. **Requisition**: Team members swipe their RFID tool carts, and the system recommends a tool list based on the task type (e.g., "cable fault repair"). Members take the tools, and the system automatically records the transaction.

3. **Departure**: After the system confirms that all necessary tools (especially grounding wires and voltage detectors) have been received, the team departs.

4. **On-site Operation**.

5. **Return and Return**: After returning, the team puts the tools back into the tool cart.

6. **System Verification**: The system automatically checks the inventory. **The process ends if all tools have been returned.** If any tool is missing, an alarm will be triggered immediately. The shift leader will organize a search and record the cause.

7. **Data Synchronization:** All records are automatically uploaded to the safety production management system, forming a closed loop.

**Summary:**

In the power energy industry, which has extremely high requirements for safety and reliability, RFID tool carts have transcended the simple scope of "tool management." They are an intelligent control node **embedded in the safety production process**. Through technological means, they enforce standardized work behaviors, shifting safety management from post-event accountability to pre-event prevention and in-event control. They are an indispensable key piece of equipment for power companies to build inherently safe enterprises, promote digital transformation, and achieve lean management.