How Technology Can Prevent Workplace Accidents and Injuries?

Preventing Workplace Accidents and Injuries

No workplace wants to experience accidents or injuries. Unfortunately, no matter the facility, it’s always possible that an employee, a visitor, or anyone else on site can become injured due to an unexpected incident. While these situations are always unfortunate, the good news is that most workplace incidents can be prevented.

To understand how to prevent incidents in the workplace, it’s important to recognize how these situations occur. Many workplace injuries happen because care isn’t taken, protocols are not followed, or the right steps to protect the property are not adhered to.

Incident Prevention: Knowing how Accidents and Injuries Occur

One common cause of workplace injuries is those operating machinery without being aware of who is around them. For example, if an employee is using equipment such as a forklift, they need to make sure that there is no one in the vicinity who could be hurt.

This involves being aware of their surroundings, checking their blind spots, informing others of their actions, and more. In these situations, it is equally important that others in the area are aware of the forklift and that they take appropriate steps to stay out of harm’s way. Everyone in this scenario should be wearing high-visibility clothing as well.

If any of those points are not followed, the chance of a workplace incident increases. Therefore, to lower the risk of such incidents in the workplace, it’s important that all staff members follow safety protocols at all times. Unfortunately, this can be hard to regulate. Even if all employees are taught the organization’s safety policies, there will likely be times when the procedures are not followed correctly.

For instance, an employee may be busy and wanting to get a task done quickly. In their haste, they might forget to look around them, they may not put on all required safety gear, or they might not use all equipment correctly. If this happens, it could potentially lead to a workplace incident and even a possible injury.

How to Prevent Incidents in the Workplace with Technology

While supervisors and other staff may want to monitor staff to ensure that protocols are followed, it’s not realistic to assume that they will be able to watch over all staff at all times in all areas of a property. There is a limit to what a person can do. This is where technology comes in.

What is remote monitoring?

It’s a system of cameras and other tools that are watched by trained professionals 24/7. Live video monitoring works by installing cameras and other sensors in all areas of a property, making it possible for a small number of staff to view every corner of a site with ease. 

A live monitoring setup also includes speakers that allow for two-way conversation. This means that agents can communicate with staff and other on-site personnel to ensure compliance and improve safety.

For example, consider the forklift scenario detailed above. In such a situation, if an employee got onto a forklift without checking the area for hazards and without ensuring that there was no one nearby who could potentially be injured, the monitoring team can communicate directly with this employee to make sure that they follow protocol before operating the forklift. 

The monitoring team can also watch out for “near miss” situations. For example, if an employee sets up a ladder to climb to a high shelf, and nearly slips and falls, this would be noticed by the monitoring team. While an injury didn’t occur, the situation would be classified as a “near miss” and it could be followed up on later. 

The live monitoring team logs all accidents and near misses, using artificial intelligence to aid them. This data can then easily be compiled into a report. The report can be used to look for areas of potential improvement where more training may be necessary or where protocols should be modified to reduce risks. 

Not only does live monitoring prevent workplace incidents by intervening before an accident occurs, but this technology can also be used to strengthen an organization and make a property safer, reducing injuries and limiting liability.

For more information on how to prevent incidents in the workplace and how live video monitoring works, please feel free to contact us today.