Page 72 - OHS, JulyAugust 2023

FW A E L A L R AP BR LO E T E T C E T C I HO N N O L O G Y workplace, here are three best practices to consider and some common misconceptions that often get in the way: Myth 1: You Need All New Technology to Support a Wearables Project Connected safety solutions are connected to another device, hence the name. This is typically enabled by Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Cellular or Satellite beacons. The connectivity enables the wearable device to capture data about an event or incident while providing the ability to notify and trigger action. Before you can get started, you’ll need to determine the networking and communications equipment needed to support a wearables environment. One of the first things to think about is where your employees work—indoors, outdoors, or both? This will dictate the networking needs to support an environment with wearables, from a LAN to Bluetooth to RFID needs. Connected safety solutions can vary in terms of their capabilities, use cases, install requirements and maintenance, but in general, they will require: hardware that needs to be calibrated or adjusted to the appropriate settings in order to achieve the desired objective, a software component which instructs a device on how to function and a data architecture that supports large volumes of structured and unstructured data (whether cloud or on-premise). Most connected safety providers will be proponents of trialing or piloting the technology in an environment before engaging commercially with an end user. This is critical to understand Not only do wearables make employees safer, but employers who invest in them as part of a comprehensive safety program demonstrate their commitment to a culture of safety. AUUSanAKUL/Shutterstock.com adoption, connectivity and interoperability requirements. Plus, subscription and rental models allow for testing technologies at a more conducive rate than an outright purchase, offering more flexibility when building a program. You don’t need to have all the latest and greatest technology on hand—you just need to have the right elements to make wearables work. Myth 2: Wearables Are Too Expensive for Your Company to Deploy Many companies have the preconceived notion that wearables are financially out of reach. Here are three important considerations around the finances of wearables: Over time, these technologies move from a CapEx model to an OpEx model, which can make these much more accessible to smaller businesses. Subscription type models and rental models also allow for lower initial cost and can remove barriers to entry for smaller businesses to be able to access these tools. Another key consideration is that while there is cost associated with access to these devices and their corresponding operational costs, their ability to increase your productivity and profitability can help you protect your bottom line in the long run. In industries where the ergonomic injury risk is high, insurers may supplement the cost if it means decreasing risk and having programs that can be leveraged. Talk to your insurance and/or workers’ compensation partners to see if this applies to your business. This is akin to health insurance providers giving an annual credit for fitness activity. An up-front investment in wellness could mean fewer claims later. And finally, consider starting small with a wearables pilot. This approach makes it easier to determine the success of such efforts and in turn helps support the business case for why these technologies are so vital to improving your overall safety environment and your bottom line. Myth 3: Employers Are Using Wearables to Track More Than Just Health Data Like any new initiative, employees can be fearful of the unknown. A common misconception is that employees wearing these devices will have their every move tracked. Educating staff on what data is being collected and what the wearables are in place to do will help them understand the benefits and drive adoption. It is also important for employees to understand that wearables don’t work in a vacuum. The future of safety is wearables working in concert with cameras, sensors and analytics. Educate your 72 Occupational Health & Safety | JULY/AUGUST 2023 www.ohsonline.com