The Connected Workers

A work order can close green while the torque spec was skipped, the photo was of the wrong flange, and the only person who would have caught it has already retired. Swaroop Kolli, president and chief product officer at Atheer, and Dan Fraser, an industry specialist who came up through oilfield inspection and maintenance, explain the execution gap between systems that plan work — ERP, EAM, MES, CMMS — and the hands that actually do it. They walk through AiR Intelligence: context at the asset, guided steps, evidence that still counts when the network drops, and a feedback loop that turns a remote expert call into the next procedure.

Guests:

SHOW LINKS:

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SUMMARY:
In Episode 45, Rama Oruganti said effective edge agents were years out and cyber was the big risk. Twenty episodes later we revisit these predictions. The agents arrived in months. It turns out the fracture is accountability.
He calls it the “apprentice inversion”: the model talks like a coworker and acts like a boss. Authority moved up. Accountability didn’t. Follow the green checkmark and you’re compliant. Override it and if the model is wrong, you should have known better.
Capability isn’t the bottleneck. Trust, guardrails, and who owns the knowledge in your head are.

GUEST: Rama Oruganti

LINKS:

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GUEST:
James Asbury

Links:
https://oggn.com/connected-workers/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewchrostowski/
www.x.com/@ConnectedAndrew
https://oggn.com/
https://www.yarbo.com
https:// www.asburyequipment.com

Summary:
The Roomba already mapped your living room. Yarbo is starting to map the driveway, the pad, and the pipeline right-of-way. That’s Episode 64 of The Connected Workers Podcast with James Asbury—stonemason, oil-and-gas news entrepreneur, and Yarbo dealer in Tioga County, Pennsylvania.
Oilfield sites don’t have spare people for herbicide, washdown, sidewalks, and mowing. One worker can run a few machines—and stay farther from chemicals and midnight callouts.
His lesson: When a robot gives you hours back, don’t waste them.

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Guest: Paul Thurber
Title: How computer vision is changing industrial safety in real time – A Conversation with Everguard’s Paul Thurber
Summary:

What if the next serious injury at a high-hazard worksite could be prevented before it ever happens? In this episode of the Connected Workers Podcast, Andrew Chrostowski talks with Paul Thurber, Senior Vice President at Everguard, about how computer vision and AI are helping industrial teams detect danger in real time—from missing PPE and unsafe behavior to heat anomalies that can signal a fire risk and even automatically respond with countermeasures!
They also explore the big questions leaders face when introducing this technology: privacy, cybersecurity, worker trust, and how to use AI as an enhancement to, not a replacement for, strong safety culture.
If your organization is looking for practical ways to move from reactive safety to proactive prevention, this conversation is essential listening.

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In August 2020, Andrea Hine was a shift supervisor fighting a plant fire with nothing but a handheld radio, describing a live, shifting scene to engineers who could see nothing. That night convinced her frontline workers deserve better.
After leading one of the industry’s largest connected-worker programs (10,000+ devices and $200M in efficiencies), she left a senior corporate career to build open-source physical AI that puts real intelligence where the work actually happens.

In this episode, Andrea explains why most industrial AI still fails the field test — and what it takes to build tools that operators actually use.

LINKS:

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Guest name: Ronald “Chet” Branson
Show Links:

Episode Description:
What happens when a 30-year EHS leader builds his own digital twin… then treats that AI the exact same way process-safety professionals treat critical controls?

In this episode of The Connected Workers Podcast, Ronald “Chet” Brandon (Senior Director of Global Sustainability, Product Stewardship & Regulatory Affairs at Hexion) drops the hype and gets ruthlessly practical. He walks us through the executive knowledge system he created to scale judgment (not just answers), why most organizations are already outrunning their governance, and the non-negotiable rule that AI can never carry accountability for a serious injury, loss of containment, or regulatory violation.

Compliance is the floor. Control reliability is the operating test.

And the human in the loop is not a ceremonial reviewer — it is part of the control system. If you work in oil & gas, chemicals, manufacturing, or any high-consequence environment and you’re being asked to “just add AI,” this conversation is required listening.

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Sponsored by TeamViewer – The Digital Workplace Platform

Title: From Fear to Fluency: Reskilling Workers for the AI Era with Dr. Andrew Schwarz

SUMMARY:
Imagine a technician troubleshooting a massive gantry crane at 6 a.m. using AI-powered smart glasses that guide him step-by-step in real time.

In this episode, LSU’s E.J. Orso Professor Andrew Schwarz joins host Andrew Chrostowski to explore how AI, immersive technology, digital twins, and VR are reshaping frontline work in energy, manufacturing, logistics, and field services.
They dive into the real skills gap (not just technical know-how), but adaptability, strategic thinking, and AI fluency — and why Louisiana is uniquely positioned to help lead the connected workforce revolution. From real-world examples in call centers, manufacturing, film production, and solar installation to rethinking education and using technology to create new pathways in underserved communities, this conversation offers a hopeful, practical roadmap.

If you’re dealing with workforce shortages or wondering how to make AI work with people instead of replacing them, this episode is for you.

LINKS FOR SHOW NOTES:

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Title: TCW E59: Stop Water Authority: Epicore’s Wearable Biosensor Revolutionizing HSE Heat Stress Prevention

Summary:
In this special joint episode of The Connected Workers Podcast and The HSE Podcast, Andrew Chrostowski and Russell Stewart welcome Matt Marripode and Randall Arms from Epicore Biosystems. Learn how Epicore’s reusable armband biosensor directly measures sweat and sodium loss to deliver real-time tactile “Stop Water Authority” alerts — empowering workers to hydrate before cognitive impairment hits. Backed by Chevron and built on Gatorade science, this technology is already reducing heat-related injuries while costing less than a dollar a day.

Essential listening for HSE professionals, safety leaders, and anyone managing heat stress in oil & gas, construction, or industrial environments.

Links:

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Sponsored by TeamViewer – The Digital Workplace Platform

Summary:
In Episode 58, Andrew Chrostowski talks with Johan Land, Chief Product Officer at Samsara.

Discover how Samsara turns 25 trillion data points and 70 billion video minutes into life-saving AI agents that prevent over 380,000 accidents. Real-time fatigue alerts, predictive maintenance, AI coaching, and gamified safety are already transforming roads and job sites.Learn how physical AI augments frontline workers, builds trust, and powers the future of mixed autonomy fleets.

Essential listening for fleet and operations leaders.

Links:

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The Death of Industrial Drudgery: How Your Competitors’ AI Agents Are Taking Action Now
How Ruh.ai is Freeing Up Resources, Cutting Costs, and Creating Massive Value in Construction, Oil & Gas, and Manufacturing

Summary:

Most “AI agents” are just chatbots with a wrapper and a new name.
In this episode, Andrew sits down with Jesse Anglen, founder of Ruh.ai, who explains why true autonomous AI agents are far superior — they don’t just chat, they reason, take action, and complete real work inside your existing systems 24/7.
Jesse shares his five-bucket framework and powerful real-world examples from construction, oil & gas, and manufacturing — showing how companies are already using autonomous AI employees to eliminate repetitive drudgery, reclaim 15–25 hours per week, and keep humans focused on judgment, relationships, and high-value work.
If you’re a board leader, executive, or operations leader responsible for productivity and margins in energy or industrial sectors, this episode is essential listening. Your competitors aren’t waiting and neither should you.

Links:

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