may 2024
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Inside the May Issue |
Saved by Science:
Wearable Tech Delivers Fewer Injuries, Increased Efficiency
BY KEVIN FIPPS
Wearable technology has emerged as a game-changer in the workplace. Tech gadgets such as smartwatches, smart glasses, and fitness trackers are transforming the way we work by improving worker safety.
Wearable devices can monitor employee movements, alert co-workers of danger, as well as measure fatigue, body temperature, and repetitive motion. The data compiled by wearables can assist in health management and be leveraged to improve employee training and ergonomics for workplace wellness and injury prevention programs.
How Wearables Can Solve Your
Workplace Safety Challenges
Wearable technology is solving a variety
of problems in the industrial workplace. For
instance, wearables are addressing safety
concerns by providing workers with realtime
data about potential hazards and safety
violations.
This can help prevent injuries, lost work time, and workers' compensation claims. Biometric monitors can measure workers’ vital signs such as heart rate variability and breathing volume and detect sleepiness using smart glasses. GPS and Bluetooth can be used to track the location of workers and equipment on a worksite. Amazon utilized this type of data to reduce musculoskeletal injuries from repetitive motion by 32 percent.
In the construction industry, smart helmets with vibration sensors can alert employees of potentially dangerous changes in their surroundings. High-tech vests with sensors can also alert construction employees when they are near a hazardous area.
Manufacturing operations can deploy wearable technology that senses when employees are near heavy machinery and alerts equipment operators of other workers. Proximity sensors could save 87 individuals killed every year by forklift collisions.
Wearables improve operational efficiency by providing workers with instant access to important information, automating tasks, and optimizing processes. This data can also help companies monitor employee performance, track equipment status and location, and enhance worker training and development. UPS and FedEx loaders and unloaders employ handheld scanners and monitors that track all packages on and off trucks in the facility. Operation supervisors can instantly measure individual performance and shift resources before they fall behind.
Great Potential for
Worksite Improvements
There are many advantages to deploying
wearable technologies that range from the
jobsite to the boardroom. Here are 3 benefits
of using wearable technology in the
workplace: Full story »
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