How Technology Is Changing The Way We Protect Employees

Right now worker safety is right at the forefront of the business and media agenda. There were far too many incidents in the construction and mining industries for the problem to be ignored. And all that effort appears to be paying off. Every year we see modest declines in workplace injuries, which, added together, have made a significant impact.

But now technologists want to take reductions in workplace injuries to the next level. They’re not satisfied with the status quo and want to continue the happy downward curve we’re on at the moment. To do so, they’re looking to technology.

Technology isn’t the most popular term in business right now. It’s treated with a degree of scepticism, but also a level of genuine loathing. Scepticism, because technology promises rarely deliver actionable products. And loathing, because technology has an uncanny ability to upset otherwise smooth business operations.

But technology is now being used to improve the safety of workers. From better hydraulic protection to medical management, here’s what’s been happening.

Real Time Data

Often employees have to travel away from the business premises to new locations. And it’s while they are travelling to new places that they’re likely to encounter risks. But real time data is helping to keep managers abreast of the most recent developments around the world.

The idea of real-time data is to provide a constant data stream of information about the safety of the worker. The worker can be informed if there is some type of political disorder at their destination country. Or perhaps the data suggest they’re at risk of a kidnapping, based on past events. Who knows? The purpose of the data is to capture and interpret trends so that employees can be protected.

3D Visualisation Technology

3D visualisation technology has been around for a while. But it’s only now that we see the emergence of other technologies, like 3D printing, it’s going mainstream. 3D visualisation works by scanning a room from two angles to produce a 3D environment. Right now colleagues can observe these environments on a screen. But in the future, they’ll be able to move around them wearing virtual reality headsets.

The purpose of this new technology is to present workers with new environments before they start working in them. This way, they’re able to identify dangers before they begin work. This new tech also gives managers a sense of where employees might get into trouble. For instance, they may uncover an as yet unknown danger lurking in the environment.

Journey Management Software

One of the riskiest things that employees can do is travel to unstable parts of the world. Journey management software is a great new tool that helps to keep employees safe. Tracking tools alert businesses if an employee hasn’t turned up on time for a scheduled flight. And it provides information to employers about how to implement best practice when staff travel.

Travelling by any mode of transport can be dangerous. So keeping businesses well informed of employee progress is important to guarantee their safety.

Main Photo: www.jisc.ac.uk

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