Technology to Manage Workplace Health and Safety

An organization without technology would be an organization without innovation. Technology can be a blessing, but at the same time, it can be a curse too. So, how do they make sure that their technology has overshadowed the rebuffs in an organization? 

Technology has a huge transformative impact on developing culture at a workplace. It changed the physical meeting culture into video conferences, mailrooms to inboxes and typewriters, followed by carbon paper to word processors. The working at the office is changed into working from home, which eventually turns towards the virtual organization. And these changes are effective only because of the technology. 

Technology in a workplace

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, an effective health and safety program can save a company $4-6 for every $1 invested through increased productivity and higher employee morale. Indeed, research has shown that properly implemented health and safety measures in the workplace help reduce absences and sick leave, keep employees engaged, increase productivity and profits, and build a favorable company reputation that will help attract new talent.

Employee safety monitoring, training, reporting, and worker compensation are just a few ways technology improves workplace safety for employees. As the technology progresses, the ability to manage industrial hazards also enhances. 

Without delay, let’s quickly jump into the areas in which technology is reshaping and managing a healthy and safe working environment.

Security Devices

Tech innovations have been addressing the positive aspect between actual 911 calls and potentially unsafe situations. Many crimes such as stalking, break-ins, or domestic abuse cases aren’t clear dangers until it’s too late to call for help. Phone apps can help first responders target exact locations and connect with users who can’t otherwise make a call.

In the same way, electronic cards, doors for access controls, monitoring systems, metal detectors have secured the workplace in a better way. Ultimately, the more sophisticated the digital records are, the more robust network security will need to be.

Realtime disease and outbreak tracking

Due to the recent pandemic, many healthcare companies are now considering realtime disease reporting and exploring disease patterns. Thanks to blockchain technology’s unique nature, we can now track data and transactions in real time. 

There are many digital health apps powered by blockchain technology that allow patients to instantly share health and medical data. These companies also utilize another integral part of blockchain technology, and I,e. Cryptocurrency. Embleema allows patients to exchange their data for cryptocurrency. 

Many Fintech companies like Skrill also encourage their users to use cryptocurrency. You can use BTC Skrill technology to now take advantage of both fiat currency and cryptocurrency. 

Digital Safety Training

Computer-based training systems eliminate these hassles. With the right training and management software, companies can track everyone’s training progress from a central location and send out automatic alerts to employees who are behind. If necessary, it can even send notifications to supervisors to exclude an employee from a job until they’ve received the proper safety training.

Similarly, many startups provide companies with the ability to design VR training programs for their employees. Safety training through VR can help employees feel more prepared when faced with a potentially dangerous situation, which reduces the risk of accidents or injuries. It assists reality solutions that help workers follow and validate processes during their tasks.

Data Management for Safety

For safety professionals, they can use technology to save time and reduce costs. With the right tools, safety professionals can effectively manage and track their safety initiatives and their coworkers or employees. The ability to collect, organize and synthesize data has had a profound effect on worker safety. 

Cloud-based software provides an end-to-end view of tasks, clearly defined responsibilities, and case histories, with changes tracked by user and date. And with the right incident and investigation software, all of the incident reports are kept in a central repository, and different stakeholders can view and edit the information. With all of the records stored digitally, it can then track trends and identify which hazards are causing the most significant harm.

With blockchain technology, insurance companies can process health insurance claims with minimal risk of fraudulent claims. In case you’ve got hold of bitcoin and don’t have the required insurance contract, you can sell BTC UK to have funds for emergency health services. On top of that, there are reliable cryptocurrency services like Vertex Market, which allow you to easily convert multiple currencies into cryptocurrency. 

Wearable Devices

Many employers are opting for wearable technology to help monitor their employees’ physiology and movements. Workers can wear such devices under or on top of clothing and somehow attach them to the body. It alerts employees from potential hazards, like heat stroke for outdoor workers or heart rates for those doing very strenuous work.

A global study in 2018 by Verdantix (source) found that 22% of Environment, Health, and Safety professionals expect their organizations to use vital signs monitoring wearables in 2019. 44% anticipate using wearable sensors to track environmental conditions, and 43% plan to use location-tracking wearables. Using wearable devices, businesses can monitor employee health and ensure that they are not exposed to dangerous situations. Data can then be stored and analyzed, providing monthly health reports to employers. 

People could have allergies or health conditions they are not aware of, and specific work environments can accentuate those issues. These tech devices can also help create healthcare plans and customize them to fit employees’ needs.

Robotics 

Robotics is the most revolutionized technology for workplace health and safety. Robotic technology can help reduce tedious tasks and improve employee efficiency. Repetitive and dull tasks can result in stressful work environments, reducing attention span, and promoting accidents. 

According to the report, a 2014 meta-analysis of 27 observational (source) studies estimated that up to 13% of workplace injuries could be attributed to fatigue. Workers with sleep problems had 1.62 times higher risk of being injured than those without. Robots effectively reduce the number of injuries that could otherwise be attributed to fatigue. 

The manufacturing industry (source) is probably benefiting most from robotics assistance, as collaborative robots can now work alongside humans. And because of new technologies, robots are equipped with sensors to detect human workers and cease operations if someone is too close to them and could get hurt. 

Virtual Reality

Virtual reality is the emerging technology to administer safety and secured training. Putting all the workers into hazardous work environments or dangerous situations without actually putting them in any danger is exactly what virtual reality allows safety trainers to do.

Research has suggested that experience-based training is superior to classroom-based learning because adults learn differently than children (source). Things like virtual reality give employees added support for retaining their safety lessons. 

Virtual reality also helps employers save time and money—one sector getting the best use of VR in the construction industry. Most construction companies deal with workers in the field. Taking these employees off their sites to report for safety training costs time and money. Employees working on a job site can stay at the job site while using their VR headsets to complete their training. 

Conclusion

The bottom line is that technology in the workplace improves employee’s health and working conditions and satisfies them in their workplace, which eventually makes them more productive. Safety technology is an essential aspect in the workplace, and companies that are using it have better turn out experience and are more satisfied with their healthier employees. 

Technology provides the right tools for sufficient data collection and timely response. It can have a significant impact in minimizing injuries and deaths in the workplace. Thus, technology enables workers to be more productive effectively and efficiently and helps concerning their security and safety.