Page 59 - Occupational Health & Safety, November/December 2019

and assets are deployed, helping them make informed decisions about schedules and workflow. Large maintenance and con- struction projects in particular will ben- efit from the efficiencies delivered through location-enabled workforce orchestration.
Big Data
Data science is the process of collecting data from multiple sources and combin- ing it in different ways to test ideas, extract insights and make decisions. When applied correctly, it can boost safety, quality and efficiency. Managers can better visualize a situation, prescribe solutions and predict future events with accuracy.
Once collected, data can be used to ob- jectively identify a problem and develop a well-informed solution. For example, con- nected wearables make it easier than ever before to assess whether workers are prop- erly bump testing and calibrating gas detec- tion devices. This is mandatory for regula- tory compliance, ensuring that workers are properly maintaining their potentially life-saving equipment. And this is just the
start using big data to manage world-class gas detection programs.
Data science can also help companies optimize business operations. Today, tech- nology can assess the ideal ratio of super- visors to trades personnel on the jobsite. Traditional organizational charts describe the supervision structure of a business on paper but do not account for the ongo- ing deployment and movement of teams throughout the jobsite on an ongoing ba- sis. By design, the organizational structure aims to control safety and quality through a reporting and support structure.
However, there is likely to be a correla- tion between injury rates and the geograph- ic ratio of supervisors to workers over time. If the ratio is too low, the likelihood of inju- ry may be higher. This type of research can help companies make fact-based decisions to ensure a safe and productive workplace.
With large volumes of collected data, it is critical for safety managers to design a plan for how to use and store this informa- tion. Companies’ legal and IT departments should play an integral role in creating this
strategy. Legal departments can help safety managers navigate how to use the informa- tion in light of trust or privacy issues. A company’s IT department can help safety managers store and recall data securely. Whether for a safety program or another initiative, these departments should be viewed as partners and collaborators in a company’s digital transformation.
For over 15 years, Sean Stinson has de- signed, developed and promoted the latest in gas detection technologies, and more re- cently, connected safety innovations. In his role with Blackline Safety, he leverages his background in electrical engineering and gas detection to direct Blackline’s product man- agement program while helping businesses adopt the latest connected safety technology.
REFERENCES
1. Jacobs et al. Employee acceptance of wearable technology in the workplace. Applied Ergonomics. 78 (2019)148-156 https://doi. org/10.1016/j.apergo.2019.03.003
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