Page 48 - Occupational Health & Safety, January/February 2020

FACILITY SAFETY
Now, an increasing number of organizations are rolling out modern technology to manage safety, support safety personnel, and reduce costs as- sociated with healthcare and lost work time.
IoT for Safety
The application of the Internet of Things (IoT) to safety workflows has exploded over the past three years. IoT uses Bluetooth sensors to monitor the status of tools, equipment, and/or environmental controls. Hardware and apps “talk to each other” in order to alert workers and supervisors to potential hazards in real time.
IoT applications use sensors to keep a constant “eye” on worker health status or the position of a piece of equipment as it’s being used, to name just a few examples. With IoT deployed, safety per- sonnel can be more effective and less intrusive at the same time.
IoT features vary depending on your needs, but a few stand-out features include:
■ Deployment assistance. The efficacy of IoT depends upon sensor accuracy, which may be affected by improper use or place- ment. Deployment assistance helps you rest assured that your sen- sors are operational and accurate.
■ Secure remote updates. Remote updates allow your pro- vider to improve effectiveness over time; however, this key feature of IoT is also a security risk. Your provider should promise regular, encrypted software updates. Worker health data should always be anonymized and encrypted.
■ Predictive analysis. In addition to immediately alerting you to unsafe conditions, your tools should analyze tracked data over time to identify areas of improvement.
■ Contextual awareness. IoT tools are most effective when they analyze data within context. Geolocation, worksite maps, and individualized worker health data norms are a few examples.
Hot feature: This uses a combination of human feedback and artificial intelligence to learn and reduce false alarms.
Training Tools
Required safety training has a bad reputation. For the construc- tion industry, specifically, employee training is often criticized as a waste of time that doesn’t provide enough real-world experience or examples.
Technology providers seem to suspect that the main hang-up with training isn’t the program or even the trainers—the problem lies in traditional training tools. VHS Tapes, DVDs, and Power- point presentations lack context. In addition, the contents of tradi- tional training sessions are easy to forget unless paired with regu- lar repetition and testing. Indeed, the first advancement in safety training came in the form of interactive safety video series that required passing a short quiz in order to move forward.
Now, advanced training tools take workers to the field us- ing Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) to instruct workers. With AR, users hold up a mobile or tablet screen to view a live camera with overlays. With VR, users wear hardware like gloves and goggles to view and experience a fabricated world.
AR applications teach employees as they navigate the jobsite and act out various processes and procedures. VR applications al- low “on-the-job training” to happen anywhere. AR/VR may also be used to simulate dangerous situations to improve employees’ abili- ties to recognize and respond to warning signs.
Seek out these features of safety training technology:
■ Integrates with your safety management software. Train- ing is a core element of your safety program and a leading indica- tor for safety health. Integrate your SMS with your training tool to track and trend safety training.
■ Aligns with standards for your industry and location. Your chosen training tool should include content that aligns with the federal, state, or nonprofit-based standards that apply to your situation.
■ On-demand training. Lower the logistical and administra- tive expenses associated with training by getting a safety training technology that works on demand.
■ Dangerous situation simulation. Experiencing “staged” scenarios helps employees base their onsite decisions on actual ex- perience versus what they’ve been told.
Up-and-coming feature: the gamification of VR experiences to increase user engagement by incorporating score-keeping, up- grades, and rewards
Conclusion
For many years, safety management was neglected in favor of other departmental processes when it came to software implementation. Now, an increasing number of organizations are rolling out mod- ern technology to manage safety, support safety personnel, and re- duce costs associated with healthcare and lost work time.
This year, safety professionals will use technology to improve, augment, and even rebuild their current safety programs. Whether the next step is moving from paper-based forms to mobile app forms, implementing sensor-based alerts, or running new em- ployee orientations on AR, broad safety improvements are more accessible than ever.
Peter Grant is co-founder and CEO of Safesite (safesitehq.com), a free safety management dashboard and app. His experience work- ing as a civil engineer in project management for large commercial contractors motivated him to use mobile technology to reduce pre- ventable incidents and deaths. That goal has driven Peter’s strategic decisions for Safesite, which has grown from a mobile app to a robust safety management system.
REFERENCES
1. https://jbknowledge.com/wp- content/uploads/2017/09/2016_JBKnowledge_Construction_
Technology_Report.pdf
2. https://www.nsc.org/Portals/0/Documents/JSEWorkplaceDocuments/ Journey-to-Safety-Excellence-Safety-Business-Case-Executives.pdf
3. https://www.osha.gov/leadingindicators/docs/OSHA_Leading_Indicators.pdf
44 Occupational Health & Safety | JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2020
www.ohsonline.com