HEALTH & SAFETY
HoW auTomaTEd TEcHNology caN HElp oRgaNIsaTIoNs RIsE To REgulaToRy cHallENgEs
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cross all sectors there are differing regulations and practices that organisations need to adhere to in order to operate their businesses safely, effectively and efficiently. From hygienic
food storage, to the safety of materials handling equipment and monitoring when certain assets or equipment might fail, businesses need to record data and check its accuracy to prove their product or equipment is safe and that the organisation is adhering to consistent safety measures. Yet in many cases, businesses continue to
rely on manual, time consuming, paper- based monitoring processes which are not only inefficient, but also have a high likelihood of inaccuracy. With pressures increasing on businesses to improve productivity and streamline their operations, they need a means of performing these critical regulatory processes in a way that not only saves valuable time, but also provides peace of mind that these checks are timely and crucially – accurate. Automated compliance monitoring
through the use of IoT sensor technology can support businesses in achieving these goals. It can also provide further data-led insight to enable you to take proactive and preventative action where necessary.
Industry Impacts
Not only must the food industry comply with HACCP compliance requirements, but industries such as warehousing and logistics – where Health and Safety Executive (HSE) guidance applies – also have compliance responsibilities; as well as education and office environments. Every business must adhere to regulations, but for certain sectors these can be complex and time consuming to monitor. Additionally, the monotonous nature of the task means that shortcuts can be taken, readings fabricated or information not documented legibly. In the case of warehousing, the HSE
recommends that racking units are checked annually by a SEMA (Storage Equipment Manufacturers Association) approved racking inspector, and regularly by staff to inspect any damage or weakness in the structure. For many businesses the sheer scale of warehouse racking means it takes a significant amount of time to inspect on a frequent basis. Moreover, is a visual
chris potts, marketing director, aNT Telecom explains how automated compliance monitoring through the use of IoT sensor technology can support businesses in addresing regulatory challenges, as well as providing further data-led insight to take proactive and preventative action where necessary.
inspection enough to identify safety issues that could put lives at risk? For office, hospitality and education
environments, the law states that ‘employers must ensure an adequate supply of fresh air (ventilation) in enclosed areas of the workplace’. Not only is this crucial for COVID-19 safety, but it is also vital in terms of employee and student
wellbeing. To align with these regulations CO2 levels must be measured accurately and by taking a range of factors into account, such as the number of people within a location and measuring at certain times throughout the day so that appropriate action can be taken if required. This long winded and manual process is an administrative burden to manage accurately and effectively. Additionally, it is not just offices, hospitality and education environments that suffer with
managing fresh air (ventilation) and CO2 levels. Within healthcare, staff, patients’ and visitors’ wellbeing is affected by bad air quality here too; and managers have to often choose between keeping doors and windows open to provide fresh air. This can often make the physical environment and surrounding premises cold and uncomfortable; which, in itself, might increase absence due to causing illness and/ or compromises on air quality; with the added knock-on effect of increased heating costs, to compensate for cold premises. However, the conundrum is that this good air quality is key to reducing the risk of staff being becoming sick due to catching a virus of any sorts; which is even more crucial, as seen through today’s pandemic. Moreover, in healthcare, in the case of
vaccines, and other critical medicines or samples, they may need to be destroyed if compliance is not met. Often, it is the nurses who become burdened and inundated with the required administrative monitoring and reporting tasks to ensure compliance is met. At a time when the NHS has a huge backlog or critical cases and healthcare challenges, is this really the best use of nurses’ expertise and time? Furthermore, it is also worth considering that just one single case of non-
38 WINTER 2021 | INdusTRIal complIaNcE
compliance can lead to detrimental consequences, depending on the sector. For instance, in food and hospitality sectors, contaminated food, in the best case, ends up in the bin. In the worst case, it ends up on the consumer’s table and potentially causes illness and other problems.
the challenges
It is clear that COVID-19 has resulted in staff shortages in many workplaces, and in some cases where employees have been made redundant or furloughed, the task of monitoring has to be allocated as an additional responsibility for others. But this can add further complexity if management lacks the visibility of what has been checked and when. How can they be sure that all necessary checks have been carried out at the right time and to the required standard, especially if they may not even be on site? Many businesses have had to streamline
their workforce considerably during the last 18 months; it has become imperative, in many cases, that resource within the business is focused on essential operations for success and growth rather than lengthy manual monitoring tasks. Adhering to regulations is still as important as ever, but with advances in technology, those businesses that turn to automated monitoring solutions will benefit not just from time saved, but peace of mind that essential processes are now automatically completed – with the ability to generate additional insight to learn and take action from.
automated effIcIency
In many cases of regulatory compliance, wireless IoT sensor technology can be used for asset or environment monitoring. Rather than workers needing to observe and physically note down recordings, information is automatically documented, stored and can be used to automatically generate charts and reports that match the relevant regulatory requirements for that particular industry. For instance, in the food industry wireless sensors can be placed within fridges and
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