IoT for Workplace Safety
The Internet of Things and IoT monitoring devices have presented workplaces with unique and innovative solutions geared toward ensuring employee safety and mitigating hazards. Such devices integrate monitoring software, data retrieval, and analysis to keep an eye on potential problems which could occur with machinery and equipment usage.
However, IoT also offers safety solutions on an individual scale. Wearable IoT safety tech allows employees and managers easily monitor their own safety and exposure to hazards in real-time. Interacting with other IoT sensors around the workplace, wearable devices can indicate an individual’s proximity to dangerous equipment, toxic gases, hazardous temperature levels, and more potential workplace hazards.
How Do Wearable Devices Protect Individuals?
When the individual is approaching a potentially dangerous situation, a real-time incident alert is sent out to the employee and any equipment operators nearby. These indispensable alerts have the power to save lives and help workers recognize problematic behaviours before disaster occurs. This life-saving technology has been made possible by the ongoing innovation in wireless communication, as well as the increasing compaction of microprocessors and batteries.
This sort of life-saving technology is becoming more accessible and affordable, making it a realistic option to be considered by businesses and consumers alike. Not only can employees learn first-hand how their on-site behaviours may be putting them at risk, but the data retrieval and analysis facilitated by these wearable devices can focus on areas which need improvement and develop new safety protocols for such problem areas. Let’s take a look at the specific variables and scenarios that IoT devices monitor to reduce the incident of harm.
Wearable IoT Safety Device Capabilities
Quite astoundingly, wearable IoT tech can monitor the user’s consciousness and deduce their level of alertness. Accordingly, equipment operators reaching unsafe levels of tiredness can be addressed before accidents occur. Electroencephalogram monitors fitted into these devices can even record stress levels of the wearer and analyse data through deep learning neural networks to accurately detect scenarios wherein stress levels rise to a level which could affect the workflow. The various daily movements required of employees can also be monitored and assessed to ensure that the correct posture is being maintained to reduce the probability of long-term injury.
As the IoT wearables monitor and track these variables, they’re also providing managers with highly valuable data concerning patterns of workflow. As more data is collected and assessed, these patterns become easily identified and can be adjusted by managers to prioritize safety. For instance, if there is a problem area in a production plant where incidents seem more likely, then these zones can be addressed and adjusted. As great as the aforementioned benefits are, there may be a number of obstacles standing in the way of widespread adoption of wearable safety tech.
Limitations
Concerns over privacy issues, maintenance costs, and adoption fees are all factors which determine the extent to which these technologies will be employed. Integrating an IoT mesh network into a business’ infrastructure can be costly, even before wearables get involved. Costs also scale depending on the type of technology required, be it a less expensive Bluetooth sensor, or a Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID).
As technology continues to evolve, these concerns will be increasingly alleviated. Privacy techniques will become stronger, and prices will fall, making wearable safety IoT devices an increasingly accessible tool that can help to protect the health and safety of individuals in the workplace while using data to increase the overall efficiency of workplace processes.
To learn more about how IoT is revolutionizing workplace safety and what IoT solutions can be implemented in your industry, consider contacting us at Evolution Data where we specialize in tech solutions for business applications.
