Ensuring workplace safety is as old as manufacturing itself. In recent years, engineering technologies have reshaped the way safety is managed in ALL industries, whether it’s construction, manufacturing, supply chain — you name it. These path-breaking technologies have become — shall we say — ubiquitous in the workplace. They ensure the worker is safe, and comfortable, and business continuity is not hampered because of industrial accidents.
Harnessing the Power of Wearable Technology
Wearables have also revolutionized safety in the workplace. Embedded with sensors and tracking capabilities, these devices identify potential risks and send out an alert allowing it to be addressed before it exacerbates. Smart helmets, for instance, are now paired with augmented reality (AR) to provide workers with useful real-time information in their line of sight. If a location is deemed hazardous smart vests, equipped with GPS, send the coordinates of the worker to management.
Robotics and Engineering Technologies: Reducing Human Risk
The introduction of robotics and automated systems in industries has greatly reduced the risks related to unsafe work. Self-governing machines can now be employed to carry out dangerous assignments such as the disposal of harmful substances, working in restricted locations, or being used in conditions with high temperatures. By removing human beings from high-risk zones, these machines increase both efficiency as well as protection.
In the car manufacturing sector, for example, robotic arms are employed for welding and constructing, hence there are fewer chances for workers to get injured on-site. In the same way, drones furnished with cameras and sensors are deployed in the infrastructure and energy industry for the function of examining the structure or efficiently mapping high-potential hazardous locations.
IoT and Smart Sensors: Real-Time Hazard Detection
The Internet of Things (IoT) is a game-changer for workplace safety. With critical environmental conditions measurable in real-time with smart sensors. IoT sensors for air quality, temperature, noise, and more can alert workers and their supervisors to potential hazards.
Consider gas leaks or a piece of equipment going down. IoT sensors can help prevent injuries to employees involved in energy jobs, and help organizations keep themselves safe and compliant. Whenever place and time data can be captured and used to inform potential actions, injuries can be mitigated.
Advanced Training Through Virtual Reality
Virtual Reality is changing how employee training is being done. It allows your employees to try the worst-case scenarios — and those are serious things like chemical spills, machine breakdowns, etc… and no one gets hurt.
Okay, let’s bring this home… you are in construction. Now you can learn to drive a forklift. You can learn to drive a crane to put a building up. And, you can learn to weld beams together — and not hurt yourself… It allows your employees to practice safe techniques and then do it when they are in no harm.
Safety Innovations in Autonomous Vehicles
Autonomous vehicles are lowering risks associated with transportation in construction, energy, and automotive-related industries, among others. A self-driving car is a vehicle with sensors and embedded software that can reduce human error and risks associated with car accidents. Many warehouses and job sites are now using trucks and forklifts that are self-driving to move materials and keep employees out of harm’s way.
Autonomous vehicles can also help to keep commercial car dents off of the road. An accident can happen, unfortunately, and you will need to know how to proceed if one does. The best option is to seek a lawyer for personal injury, and sit back while they sort the issue out for you.
Blockchain for Enhanced Safety Records
Blockchain technology is being utilized to monitor transparency and compliance relating to safety at work. By storing all safety inspection results, equipment maintenance reports, and incident reports on the public ledger, one can be sure their data is free from tamper and easy to retrieve.
What makes it more appealing, is companies in the Energy and Construction sector can be seen to be compliant and auditors can easily reconcile, providing assurance that a company is performing all their work in safety.
Embracing a Safer Tomorrow
The current landscape of embedding leading engineering technologies is changing the way that industries think about safety in the workplace. From wearables to machine learning-based insights, we’re equipping organizations with the right tools to improve upon how and where they do business. In years to come, we will only build on these opportunities to protect workers and instill a culture of safety within all industries.
