Mobile

Enterprise mobility allows manufacturers to be more strategic and opportunistic. Mobile-first solutions like tablets and smartphones allow every worker to be connected on a single system to drive business processes and safety. Mobile solutions can also work online and offline, which becomes crucial in manufacturing facilities where Wi-Fi may not always be available. If there is a safety-related issue, it can be reported immediately and a call to action is sent directly to the relevant teams to institute corrective actions. 

Becoming mobile-first also allows employees to track operations remotely. For example, an employee delivering services can accurately report on the location of products and time of delivery. If there was an ergonomic injury, such as a strained back that occurred while moving heavy products, an employee can easily update a corrective action to be taken to wear a back-support belt while moving this product. This alert ensures that the next employee on a delivery is utilizing the right personal protective equipment (PPE).

Wearables

In manufacturing organizations, wearable devices provide a wealth of information on employee safety and well-being. By utilizing these devices, organizations can improve preventive health and ensure employees are taking the right precautions on the plant floor. For example, if a plant has a high-pressure area or one with dangerous chemicals where a hazmat suit may be needed, safety managers can ensure employees are wearing the right PPE based on their body temperatures recorded by wearable devices. 

Wearable devices can also inform safety managers if a worker has an incident on the job. For example, a wearable device can report on whether a worker has been lying horizontally for a long period of time. This may indicate that they are seriously injured and need immediate medical attention. Data from wearable devices can also integrate with back-end systems to streamline compensation benefits. This allows the manufacturer to easily spot employee injury trends and take corrective actions to prevent future incidents.

Sensors

Using sensors in manufacturing facilities can reduce operations and maintenance costs while increasing safety management. When assets such as manufacturing equipment are installed with sensors, upkeep is modernized in the facility. These sensors provide accurate data on the ‘health’ of the machines and whether there are any malfunctions that need to be addressed. By having a holistic view of equipment status, safety managers can mitigate any risks to workers due to equipment blips or failures. Maintenance teams can be alerted of any issues and handle them in a timely manner so there is no time loss during production at the plant as well. 

When manufacturing facilities invest in mobile, wearable and sensor solutions, they make strides toward ensuring continuous worker safety on the job. These solutions easily integrate with Software-as-a-Service platforms that provides stakeholders with key business insight into the performance of the facility. With the right next-generation solutions, manufacturers can build zero-incident workplaces and gain operational excellence.

Credit: As seen on Smart Industry