Page 8 - OHS, May 2022

WEARABLE TECHNOLOGY
How Wearable Technology is Transforming Safety and the Industrial Workplace
There are many benefits to incorporating wearable technology in your safety programs.
For industrial companies around the globe, worker safety depends on always knowing where your workers are and what hazards they
are facing, and then using that information to proactively improve safety protocols and procedures. All too often, though, companies lack the required visibility into their operations and workforce to properly mitigate risks. That’s where wearable technology, or more specifically, cloud- connected wearable technology can help.
Wearable Technology
is Already All Around Us
From tracking an Uber’s location on a phone to checking heart rates on wrist monitors, wearable connected technology is already commonplace in our personal lives—and it’s changing industrial safety protocols too. Environmental, health and safety (EHS) is going through an evolution in incident detection, avoidance, reporting and management through the rise of “connected safety” in the workplace.
With around 340 million occupational accidents and 160 million victims of work- related illnesses annually, according to the International Labour Organization, there’s lots of room to improve.1 It is modern technology that gives real-time, data- driven insights into safety on the ground that will enable quick and informed decisions to best protect workers’ lives.
ACloserLookatConnectedSafety
A connected safety solution is composed of a cloud-based software platform that connects workers and their workplace Internet of Things (IoT) safety-based devices, including wearable devices, to display data in real time.
It’s basically the Industrial IoT (IIoT)— but with a safety focus. The IIoT refers to a network of interconnected devices used for designing, maintaining, monitoring, optimizing and analyzing industrial operations to gain real-time insights and make more effective decisions.
In the context of wearable technology,
this means progressing from simple monitors with only personal alarms to a cloud-connected network of devices that can mix wearable gas detectors with area monitors, and even other sensor devices. Data flows into smart, cloud- based software for analysis and reporting with monitoring personnel able to communicate safety information back to devices. This results in a fully managed network of incident alerting, response and avoidance opportunities across your entire workforce and every site.
This data-driven approach is already revolutionizing industrial EHS, leading to improvements in worker safety, workflow, safety process automation and compliance. In fact, a 2021 Polaris research report predicts the market for connected safety will be some USD$24.3 billion by 2029.2
ConfigurabletoaVarietyof
At-Risk Situations, From Lone WorkertoGasExposure
Wearable safety devices are configurable, enabling you to get ahead of all the risks your industry workers face—whether from working alone, confined spaces, slips and falls or harmful gases and VOCs— often using a single device.
For example, there are personal wearables that can protect lone workers, but can also be leveraged as single-gas, multi-gas or multi-gas pump devices.3 Transmitting gas and location-based sensor information directly to a cloud- based software platform so workers can have two-way communications functionality over satellite or cellular networks depending on the model. This kind of technology can wirelessly connect
8 Occupational Health & Safety | MAY 2022
www.ohsonline.com
metamorworks/Shutterstock.com