Boost Worker Well-being and Fortify a Culture of Safety
February 17, 2021 |
Frontline worker safety remains a pressing priority for industrial operations. Just last month, President Joe Biden underscored the importance of safety measures in the workplace with an executive order seeking stronger safety guidance and worker protections to combat Covid-19.
As this emphasis on worker safety continues, companies are using smart technology to augment their EHS programs and fortify their safety cultures. Wearables are providing data and insights that further reduce injury rates and virus spread in the workplace. And the tech is reinforcing and enhancing a positive culture of safety by empowering employees to engage in the safety process.
New Data + Insights Elevate Worker Safety Programs
Just like consumer wearable activity trackers measure health indicators and support increased physical activity, industrial wearables measure worker safety indicators and support reduced workplace injuries and illnesses.
For example, ergo-wearables are connected devices worn by employees that transmit real-time data about high risk behaviors occurring in the workplace. When paired with continuous and immediate user feedback, this objective data can lead to sustained behavior change that reduces high-risk movements. Fewer risky movements results in fewer workplace injuries.
When Iron Mountain deployed ergo-wearables, they experienced a 64% reduction in injury rates for both drivers and warehouse associates, plus a 58% reduction in their cost of worker’s compensation claims, year over year. The company has since made wearables an integral part of their safety program and culture, expanding the program to over 60 sites.
In recent months, industrial wearables have evolved to meet safety needs around Covid-19 as well. To protect workers from the virus and to avert facility shutdowns, companies are using wearables to target worker proximity safety measures and enhance the contact tracing process.
Employee Engagement Fortifies a Culture of Safety
A key aspect of a thriving safety culture is engaging team members in the safety process. Wearables can help by allowing workers to take responsibility for their health and safety.
In a recent article examining the use of wearable technology in construction, JLG Industries Safety Manager Ashley Metz shared how wearables are affecting the company’s safety culture through employee participation. She said, “The team has personal influence in their behaviors with how they are approaching a lift or a reaching posture.”
Frito-Lay, Inc., a division of PepsiCo., is likewise touting the engaging power of wearables. Last summer, the company distributed devices among employees in multiple manufacturing sites to alert them of high risk postures performed while doing daily job functions. As a result, employees began initiating new conversations about high risk postures and proposing solutions to management.
PepsiCo. VP of Global Environment, Health & Safety Cormac Gilligan said, “You’ve got culture change happening at the same time as behavior change. That is something we’ve never had before with our ergo program.”
Watch to learn about how PepsiCo is enhancing their safety culture with wearables.
With safety now top of mind for employers and employees alike, it’s an ideal time to build on workplace safety programs and make already good safety cultures even better. Wearables can serve as an important tool – this connected tech offers objective, actionable insights companies would otherwise not have. And it engages workers in the safety process, empowering them to take control of their safety and participate in productive feedback as a team.
Haytham Elhawary
CEO & Cofounder, KINETIC
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