TECHNOLOGY IN HEALTH & SAFETY
later that year, it was rejected on the grounds that it did not discuss the fundamental issues of workplace safety.
At this point the government invited Lord Alfred Robens, the Chairman of the National Coal Board to carry out a review. Over the next two years, the Committee on Safety and Health at Work spoke to coal miners, manufacturers, trade unions, and businesses of all kinds and concluded that reform should aim to support more effective self- regulation by employers and employees alike.
“THE DIGITAL REVOLUTION HAS UTTERLY TRANSFORMED THE WAY
WE WORK AND HOW WE INTERACT WITH OUR ENVIRONMENT.”
During the process of introducing a bill, the Conservatives lost an election and it was left to Labour to ensure it secured safe passage through Parliament. It was likely the government was incentivised to act quickly following the Flixborough explosion at a chemical plant on Saturday, 1st June 1974 in which 28 people were killed and 36 seriously injured. Thus, in July 1974 the Health and Safety at Work Act became enshrined in law.
The act enforces wide-ranging duties on employers including the protection of ‘health, safety and welfare’ of all their employees ‘so far as is reasonably practicable’. Employers therefore can argue that the costs of putting a particular safety measure in place are not justified by the reduction in risk the measure would produce. The legislation also led to the creation of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) on the 1st January 1975 which would be used to enforce workplace health, safety and welfare of those at work.
TECHNOLOGY IN PRACTICE Over half a century later we are entering the fourth industrial revolution. In the words of the World Economic Forum (WEF) this revolution will be distinguishably different from those of the past in that it will be characterised by a “fusion of technologies that is blurring the lines between the physical, digital and biological spheres”. Only by accepting these changes can organisations enhance their health and safety strategies for the betterment of the workforce.
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/01/the-fourth-industrial-revolution-what-it-means-and-how-to-respond/
The influx of virtual reality (VR) has significantly shaped the way employees are trained for certain environments. By creating simulations of hazards in real workplaces, operatives are given the freedom to fail, allowing them to see the consequences of their actions and make informed decisions when it comes to the real thing. For example, the MSA VR app on display at The Facilities Event in April, allows employees to experience confined space worksite hazards and engage with MSA safety products that help protect them from these potential dangers.
Elsewhere, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) monitoring software such as AI-SAFE from Cortexica and
twitter.com/TomorrowsHS
Cisco supports compliance in an array of environments. This autonomous system combines real-time video analysis with advanced algorithms and machine learning to ensure workers are correctly wearing PPE on ingress and can continuously monitor within a restricted area such as pharmaceutical labs and construction sites. If an employee is seen without the PPE it will completely restrict access to the work area.
Emerging technologies in this decade include drones and remote control vehicles. Increasingly used throughout the industry to survey unsafe environments and monitor environmentally hazardous areas, drones are putting workers out of harm’s way by being deployed in situations that once required a human (e.g. working at height). In this example though, drones in the workplace come with their own challenges as they too require a risk assessment. This means that health and safety assessments must adapt to the technology used to implement a safer strategy in the first place. It brings to light the cyclical nature of emerging technologies helping and hindering simultaneously; unwanted bureaucracy as one red tape is replaced with another.
Employers are also utilising monitoring technology to gain a sound awareness of their employees’ exposure levels to potentially harmful substances in the workplace and also reduce the risk of musculoskeletal disorders. In this latter example, referred to as digital ergonomics, wearable sensors are able to measure the electrical potential in muscles all over the body and transmit data to detect any risks. This not only allows employers to note potentially risky postures their workers may be adopting but also find the more efficient ways for people to work.
“IN 1974, 650 PEOPLE LOST THEIR LIVES AT WORK. AS OF 2017/18 THAT NUMBER STANDS AT 144.”
HAS IT HELPED? In 1974, 650 people lost their lives at work. As of 2017/18 that number stands at 144. Likewise with non-fatal injuries – in 1974, 336,701 people reported an injury at work, in 2016 the number was down to 78,222, which equates to a 75% reduction in reported injuries. Indeed, it’s also worth reminding ourselves that the UK population is now almost 10 million higher than it was in 1974, with more people at work than ever before.
With incipient and turbulent demographical changes in a state of constant flux - globalisation diversifying the workforce, people having fewer children and the working populace getting older - further transformation of the workplace is likely to breed graver risks and challenges for health and safety practitioners. It is therefore imperative in this ever-changing landscape, that the industry is able to adjust to the technology on offer in order to keep future generations safe at work.
https://www.cipd.co.uk/Images/avoiding-the-demographic-crunch-labour-supply-and-ageing-workforce_tcm18-10235.pdf 37
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