Modern technology is driven by data. From artificial intelligence powered by big data sets to popular wearable devices, data is the currency that flows through the business world. The implications of this are wide-reaching, but nowhere do data and technology stand to make as much of a difference in workers’ lives as in workplace safety.
Data and technology are being used to improve safety across industries. But to apply the safety benefits of these powerful tools, you’ll need to understand how they are utilized. Here, we break down the impact of data and its many platforms on workplace safety.
Using Data to Improve Safety
Data has a lot to teach us about worker safety. Big data shows us worlds of variables, conditions, and potential solutions. With the help of artificial intelligence algorithms and machine learning, this data can be harnessed and utilized more easily than ever before.
Commonly, businesses apply vast stores of information generated through digital devices to produce business intelligence. This is a field whose purpose is to disassemble data and reveal actionable benefits that businesses can integrate into their processes. Where safety is concerned, big data and business analytics have massive potential.
For instance, big data applied to workplace safety has the power to help workers:
- Identify areas of concerns
- Highlight workplace hazards
- Predict and prevent equipment breakdowns
These are invaluable benefits because they can mean the difference between a potentially fatal accident. With 15 deaths occurring every day on the job, the use of data can save lives by monitoring the workforce in real-time and evaluating machinery for points of malfunction. All this is possible because of the availability of big data.
Our connected world has made it possible to collect and study information ranging in scale from customer data to industry trends. Data platforms and cloud computing systems now make up digital workplace infrastructures, enabling safe remote work policies and modeling potential hazards. With data gathered across one system, analysts can explore greater safety solutions.
For instance, contractors use safety data platforms to collate data for analysis. This centralized data can then be used in predictive algorithms that crunch all your workplace data and identify areas of concern. Then, you can take actionable steps towards resolving any problems and spread those insights across your endeavors, empowered by data-driven business intelligence dashboards.
Data means transparency. It means having a visualization system of company metrics, incidents, and goals. It means tapping into the power of fact and analysis. From here, the safety benefits of data can be further enhanced through advancing technology.
Using Technology to Improve Safety
Right now, some of the most prominent technologies in the world of workplace safety include Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) sensors, wearables, and AI tools. All these devices lead to unprecedented safety solutions and outcomes, revolutionizing workplace safety on the whole and inviting innumerable benefits.
These safety benefits of technology include:
- Reduction of dangerous worker tasks through robotics
- Enhanced safety of machinery
- Greater support of worker health and well-being
All this and more is achievable through the power of modern data and technology combined into one comprehensive package. For instance, IIoT sensors provide an unprecedented look into how workplaces function. These connected devices, operating with computer vision, can track everything from the storage conditions of hazardous materials to employee posture. From here, safety managers can be alerted to potential problems.
Additionally, emerging wearable tech offers even greater safety potential. From fitness trackers to smart eyewear, wearables collect information and record data for the purpose of greater understanding. This has led a reported 75% of wearable users to feel more in control of their own health and allows them to connect more transparently with their physicians.
Meanwhile, technology is advancing across a wide spectrum of workplaces. The transportation industry, for example, faces its own digital revolution amidst a wave of automation. Fully automated trucks could save an estimated 21,700 lives per year since 90% of automobile accidents are caused by human error.
With data and technology representing a range of invaluable safety tools, we can look forward to a future in which workplace accidents are brought down to as close to zero as possible.
A Future of Greater Workplace Safety
Employers have a responsibility to protect their employees to the best of their ability. If an employer fails to do so, workers can sometimes challenge their workplaces legally for exposing them to an unsafe environment. To protect all parties in a working environment against such a situation, data and technology can be extremely useful.
This is because data allows us to form a bigger picture of the workplace as a whole. From likelihood to potential consequences, data offers insight. Then, advancing technology like AI and IIoT give safety managers the tools to make real improvements.
As these tools continue to improve, workers can look forward to a brighter and safer future. Employers should explore the data and tech available to them now to begin reaping all the benefits of an accident-free workplace.