We live in a connected world. Right now, most of us have phones in our pockets that we use to text our families, check the weather and order take-out. In the car, voice navigation tells us where to turn. At home, Alexa helps us cook.
But when we go to work, those of us in the most dangerous jobs leave the connected world behind. For workers in hazardous environments, being disconnected isn't just an inconvenience; it can be disastrous.
A deadly disconnection
The safety systems we have in place today were designed for a world that doesn't exist anymore. OSHA regulations were written 50 years ago; they didn't contemplate today's hazardous environments. Businesses try to ensure worker safety by establishing a lot of processes
Many incidents could be avoided if workers had the ability to gather better data and communicate with each other or a monitoring center.
and procedures or by engineering out hazards whenever possible. But policies and engineering can't remove the most common cause of failure: limited information. A person who knows combustible gases are collecting, a piece of equipment is approaching or fatigue is creating a risk will make better decisions.
Consider confined space entries. A worker is isolated inside a dark, noisy space that wasn't meant for human habitation. An attendant stands outside in bright light to monitor the worker's safety, as per OSHA regulations. The attendant and worker cannot see or hear each other. The only way the attendant can tell there's a problem is if the worker doesn't exit the space on schedule. If the attendant enters the space to investigate, they may never come out; 60 percent of fatalities in confined spaces happen to people trying to rescue co-workers.
The connected worker
Many incidents could be avoided if workers had the ability to gather better data and communicate with each other or a monitoring center. A connected worker could speak into a hands-free, always-on microphone to tell an attendant about feelings of illness or changes in the environment; sensors embedded in clothing could alert both workers and attendants to the presence of toxic gases, unsafe temperature changes, falls, crush dangers and other potential problems.
This isn't a description of some science fiction future. The Internet of Things (IoT) is already in use in industrial environments to manage tank levels, control inventory, manage fleets and more. Connected worker technology is just wearable IoT that uses military-grade sensors, cameras, GPS and communication devices to monitor workers' status.
The use of connected worker technology isn't just good for workers. It's good for business. Workplace injuries cost U.S. businesses more than $200 billion each year in work stoppage, remediation costs, health care expenses, workers' comp and litigation. Connected worker technology also improves productivity. Employers can know exactly what's happening on a jobsite, right down to the output and locations of individual workers.
At the end of the day, profitability is important, and better safety is known to be profitable. CFOs report that every dollar invested in injury prevention returns at least $2 in savings. Every injury avoided saves a company $37,000. Every fatality avoided saves a company nearly $1.4 million.
We have the technology to reduce accident rates. We know that reducing accidents reduces expense. So why hasn't connected worker technology been as widely adopted as the IoT that monitors machinery?
Organizational inertia is hard to overcome
Many companies, especially the biggest ones, have dense safety procedures in place. Changing them takes a massive organizational effort. Policies and procedures have to be rewritten, technology has to be sourced, and everybody needs re-training. While all those changes are in progress, production -- and cash flow -- is slowed or stopped.
The cost of implementation is a certainty. The return on investment is a projection. It's easy to understand why there may be a shortage of organizational will.
The disconnect starts with the organization chart. Safety management is a cost center. The safety team can recommend a best practice, but someone up the ladder has to fund it. And while industrial enterprises have been quick to embrace IoT to produce revenue, few apply that same sense of innovation to operations. "We'll do it when we have to" is a pretty common stance.
In 2018, this inertia is a lost opportunity. In 2020, it will be a competitive weakness. Connected worker technology is inevitable, and companies that invest in it right now will not only save lives; they'll free up funds to spend on growth before their competitors can beat them to it.
Put technology where it matters most
More than 100 people die on the job every week. Many of those deaths can be prevented by equipping workers with modern technology -- technology very similar or even identical to that used in oil fields, on factory floors and in cargo holds.
Industries have proven they're willing to invest in technology to protect hard assets. The question on the mind of everyone who has a father, daughter, neighbor or friend who puts on a hard hat to go to work is, "Why can't we do better to protect our people?"
For more information, visit www.totalsafety.com or call (888) 328-6825.
