Monitoring And Improving Workplace Safety With AI Wearable Technology
Alongside oversight of maintenance and operations, a key role for facilities managers in any business, is often also management of health and safety policy and ensuring that they meet current regulations.
For those managers who have responsibility for large warehouse premises which encompass a range of different physical operations, this health and safety role is key to ensuring the smooth operation and efficiency of supply of goods. According to the latest figures from the Health and Safety Executive, 36.8 million working days were lost in the UK, due to work‑related illness and workplace injury in 2020/21 so businesses are continuously looking for ways to avoid injury at work and improve workplace safety and wellbeing because the benefits are clear – a healthy, engaged workforce and improved productivity.
The introduction of Artificial Intelligence is currently transforming workplace safety and productivity in the UK following the US lead where the fast growth of the AI wearable device market for health and safety monitoring means the market is more mature. In the UK, wearable solutions are now becoming more popular, with new AI health and safety monitoring devices like the WearHealth exoskeleton suit analysis, bringing exciting and disruptive change. Wearable devices bring with them a new way of harnessing detailed data that can help inform future workplace health and safety policy within organisations. In addition companies like Modjoul offer wearable technology offering safety provisions like collision avoidance technology as part of its SmartBelt technology.
Wearable AI technologies usually work together as part of a holistic solution with each technology forming part of a dynamic ecosystem. Each one plays its role in keeping the worker safe. Uses within health and safety that have been developed include:
Anti‑Collision Technology
When people and machines operate together in close proximity, the likelihood for workplace accidents inevitably rises. The statistics bear this out. In the UK, between 2016‑2019, 43% of forklift truck incidents involved impact with a third person and 65% of these involved pedestrians unconnected with the activities of the forklift. These figures from the UK Materials Handling Association, clearly show that danger is heightened when people work in an environment that contains mechanical vehicles such as forklift trucks, diggers and cranes. However, AI wearable technology is tackling this issue head on to help cut workplace accidents. For example, Modjoul’s wearable SmartBelt communicates with forklift drivers and other workers in the vicinity, while simultaneously measuring ergonomics and environmental factors. If a forklift is nearby, the technology will alert both the driver of the forklift and the individual concerned so that they can avoid each other. This is particularly useful in areas where vision may be restricted such as blind corners. This means that in workplaces where workers and forklifts co‑exist together, processes can operate more safely than ever before.
The devices simultaneously collect data and measure ergonomics and environmental factors ensuring that there is no confusion over forklift truck movement and individuals in specific zones.
Exoskeleton Solutions For Musculoskeletal Disorders
Wearable tech to report ergonomic activities in the workplace is on the increase with exoskeleton suits increasingly being used in the UK workplace to help keep workers safe when carrying out high impact repetitive activities. Granular reporting on bends, twists, stooping, crouching, reaching and carrying, can be processed in great detail to offer insights of a global workforce risk analysis.
Technology providers like WearHealth match the right exoskeleton suit to the activity being performed with the aim of ensuring their usual daily tasks can be performed without the risk of injury or suffering from musculoskeletal disorders. Video scanning technology is used to assess a particular task, make recommendations for possible exoskeleton suits and then report on this with sensor analysis of the activity. The sensors are worn by the worker to allow for analysis of an appropriate exosuit, and determine comfort and support based on real time data generated during the task. The right exoskeleton for that task can then be fitted and used as required based on the potential effectiveness and useability.
In occupations where repetitive injury strain, motion sensors can help to monitor tasks. For example, Ansell, the world’s largest supplier of PPE, has launched a new technology called InteliforzTM which monitors repetitive hand and wrist movement to protect against a range of hand and wrist injuries including carpal tunnel syndrome. A motion sensor pod worn in the safety glove alerts the user when carrying out a risky hand movement by using a haptic buzz. This also reports potential issues to management which allows the correct intervention to reduce risks.
Dynamic Provisioning Using Bluetooth Technology
Bluetooth technology can be used in the workplace to help keep track of equipment and people to ensure that they are kept safe. It is incredibly versatile and can be utilised in a huge variety of situations. For example, if every staff member and visitor is issued with a wearable Bluetooth device, then by simply scanning the code on any device, the platform will detect their profile. This dynamic provisioning technology allows you to track who is in and out of a building in the case of an emergency. A Bluetooth beacon can be used in restricted areas to regulate access to people with the correct authorisation, in a process called Zoning.
Temperature Controlled Zones
Temperature controlled environments can be a feature of food led workplaces and Wi‑Fi technology can be used to monitor exposure to extreme temperatures. A wearable device then alerts the user that they have spent too long in that environment and that they need to remove themselves to a more temperate area. It can also monitor light levels and tell the user if they have been working in an environment that is too light or too dark.
Data Analysis To Improve Training And Safety
One of the key benefits of all these wearable AI technology solutions is the detailed data it collects related to the workplace environment, and the operations carried out. The data provided is in real time which means that the technology is continuously measuring and tracking progress. Analysis of this data can pinpoint issues, provide risk assessment of specific tasks, and be customised to fit specific situations. This data is invaluable in helping the workplace to operate more efficiently and improving workplace wellbeing.
The AI wearable technologies coming on stream in the UK are capable of providing real, measurable change and helping to make the workplace safer than ever before. There has never been a better time to improve workplace safety and employee wellbeing.
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