Page 8 - OHS, April 2020

FACILITY SAFETY
Using the Industrial Internet of Things to Create a Safer Workplace
The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) allows safety managers to utilize modern, industrial hardware and technology.
BY TIM KUBLY
turing industrial process. This focus allows companies to increase energy efficiency, streamline communica- tion, enhance productivity and monitor events. Real- time and historical safety events can be communicat- ed to safety managers though text and/or email alerts. These analytics allow companies to identify trends, find training opportunities and improve the behavior of employees through data-driven decisions.
Let’s examine how IIoT is taking safety to a new level in workplaces across the globe.
The First Wave: Wearable Devices
and Moveable Sensors
In the industrial world, common wearable smart de- vices have been altered to provide metrics on addi- tional health parameters. For example, smart watches can monitor workers’ exertion levels and body tem- peratures, then alert them (and their supervisors) when either become dangerously high. In another, more advanced example, Ford has introduced exo- skeleton vests made of e-textiles with embedded na- no-sensors that can analyze heart rate, temperature, blood-oxygen levels and fatigue.
On job sites, construction workers are now wear- ing hard hats with sensors that monitor heat rates, oxygen levels, fatigue and other dangerous stresses. These “smart hats” also gather data on working con- ditions such as equipment temperatures, dust, toxic conditions and more. What’s more, the sensors in the hat are interconnected to a communication network that transmits this data to analytical software able to predict unsafe conditions.
IIoT also is being used to connect fork trucks and place them on an automated governor. For example, pedestrian and forklift technology can slow the speed of the fork truck when it comes within a certain dis- tance of pedestrians and actually stop the fork truck if it gets within certain distance parameters.
Wearable PPE technology and moveable smart equipment are helping shape the way industrial work- ers and managers think about safety. Real-time in- formation provided by these devices can help inform immediate decisions that improve the health of—and mitigate safety risks to—individual workers.
IIoT and Building Infrastructure
As IIoT grows, data can be applied across entire op- erations to go much farther than heat stress and over- exertion of one worker at a time or dangers specific to one location. After all, dangerous interactions with heavy equipment such as tractor trailers, machinery, AGVs and forklifts take place across the length and
In an industrial and commercial world that keeps speeding up to match the soaring expectations of consumers, it is critical that safety is not left be- hind as operational efficiencies increase. Studies
have recently linked the increasing speeds of fulfill- ment with working injuries—particularly in high-tech warehouses and distribution centers. Despite wide- spread efforts from senior management and facility managers, there is still room for improvement when it comes to industrial safety and injury prevention.
Facility managers are increasingly looking for ways to proactively address potential safety issues, instead of merely reacting to accidents that might cause harm to employees. The National Safety Council (NSC) esti- mates more than 4.6 million workplace injuries occur in the United States each year, which equates to one injury every seven seconds.1 The NSC projects that more than $161 billion in annual costs are associated with these injuries in the U.S.2 Therefore, investing in technologies allows companies to reduce risk and al- low employees to return home safely to their families, which is top priority for any organization.
Advanced equipment and controls are now ca- pable of collecting data, which is the first step toward network connectivity. For example, to improve safety at the loading dock, include interlocking dock con- trols that can be programmed to only work in a safe sequence of operation; motion sensor-activated audio and visual communication systems and intersection systems; and doors that automatically reverse when their photo eye is tripped.
The industrial workplace is utilizing the Internet of Things (IoT) technology to improve safety. The Indus- trial Internet of Things (IIoT) applies various sets of hardware working together to enhance the manufac-
8 Occupational Health & Safety | APRIL 2020
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