Wearable Technology Could Boost Workplace Safety

Wearable technology can give safety professionals and other employees a look into workplace activity and ensure the health and well-being of the workforce. These devices can range from small fitness devices to hard hats with sensors and glasses with heads-up displays. "The greatest benefit of this technology is that, as a worker, you're not alone in terms of your safety," says John Snawder, co-director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health's (NIOSH) Center for Direct Reading and Sensor Technologies and acting chief of the agency's Biomonitoring and Health Assessment Branch. However, some say these devices infringe on workers' privacy, which is why experts say employers should lay the groundwork for the use of such devices before implementing them across the workforce. Workers are not keen on wearing devices to track productivity, but they do like the idea of using them to monitor safety and health. Another potential use is proximity detection inside mines or at construction sites. Getting the full picture of potentially serious injury and fatality events on a worksite and, ultimately, changing behaviors are among the benefits of the technology. NIOSH also suggests employers be transparent in how data is used and allow for employees to opt out of a program.

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