Wearable help keep workers safe this holiday season

The holiday season is here, and with Christmas shoppers and holiday orders beginning to flood into stores, businesses will be working overtime to keep operations running smoothly. Unfortunately, that uptick in demand often puts warehouse workers at  greater risk of  injury, more so than at any other time of year. As companies seek to prevent workplace injuries and avoid high compensation and rehabilitation costs, harnessing technology to actively prevent injuries is becoming an increasingly popular strategy.

According to global safety solutions provider Ansell, giving organizations immediate biofeedback through wearable technology is the key to preventing injuries. The company launched its workplace safety product and service brand Inteliforz earlier this year, and IoT World spoke to senior manager Stephanie Gifford and director Beemal Vasani about the rising importance and changing design of workplace wearables, and how companies can expect to see meaningful industry change as we enter the holiday hiring season.

The global wearable device market has seen rapid growth and development in recent years, driven commercially by the rising popularity of wearable fitness trackers and smartwatches, as well as significant changes in consumer perception of and attitude towards the technology.

“In general, employees are more open and willing to use wearable technologies,” said Gifford. “When it first came out, it almost seemed like Big Brother, with fears over companies wanting to control or monitor employees all the time, whereas now there’s been a shift where people are more open and accepting to technology, realizing that it’s really truly there to help you. I think we’ve seen a real shift in the mentality and how accepting people are to use it.”

This shift was driven by the integration of technology into increased aspects of our lives, a trend that was accelerated during the pandemic as users drove demand for biometric monitoring, remote fitness tracking and contactless health assessments. There has also been a change in the perceived value of technology, and the amount customers are willing to spend on certain tools and features.

“People’s perception of technology and its value has changed drastically over the last 10 to 15 years,” said Gifford. “Nobody bats an eyelash now at paying $1,200 to $1,500 for the newest iPhone, which would have been unheard of back in that time.”

With a more accepting customer base, wearable design has shifted to become smarter, sleeker and smaller for ease of deployment, with user experience and explainability at the heart of current designs.

Getting the Most out of Wearables

With wearables deployed in a wide variety of industries, engineers have seen an increased demand for visual, explainable data to enable usability regardless of a wearer’s experience. Providing managers and employees alike with an understanding of the device’s findings also enables behavioral change and operational adaptation to see cost and time savings, as well as improved safety standards.

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