It’s 2025, and smart technologies have changed the way we keep our workplaces safe. The fatal work injuries dropped to 5,283 in 2023 in the US, which is 3.5 injuries for every 100,000 workers. Still, a lot of workers die or get hurt on the job every year, and the costs of this can be very high. Smart technologies can help you make your workplace much safer, more productive, and more compliant. Here are ten ways you can do it.
Use computer vision where your risks are greatest
AI video analytics can help you find blocked emergency routes and people who aren’t wearing PPE. It can also help you find people who are in the line of fire. Platforms like Intenseye and Protex AI can easily send you surface actionable alerts that work with your current cameras.
When these signals are added to the daily work of EHS teams, they can report hazard abatement much faster. This makes it less likely that you will miss something. You should learn about the top OSHA hazards and things that happen every year.
Use AI on forklifts and other mobile tools
When you hit an industrial vehicle, you could get hurt badly. This is still a source of damage that happens all the time. Pedestrian-detection cameras like Blaxtair, forklift monitoring suites like Onetrack or VIA Mobile360, and analytics can help you catch dangerous behaviors like speeding or using your phone while driving and even cut down on blind spots.
AI vision doesn’t get tired of tags. It can also stop alarms that are bothering you. A fair share of construction injuries in the UK have happened when cars hit people. These can be made less likely with the help of smart technologies and processes.
Make Permit-to-Work (PtW) and Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) digital
Paper-based permits can cause problems. There can be fields that are skipped, isolations that are missed, and signatures that are delayed. Electronic PtW/LOTO systems like PermitSentry and Enablon Control of Work can help you make sure that time-stamp approvals are correct, add hazard libraries, and take the same steps. After PtW went digital, there was a 94% drop in permit-related incidents in the European sites of Pfizer sites in just one year.
Wearables can help your workers connect
You can also give this important step a try. You can help workers stand up straighter and avoid risky movements by giving them ergonomic and proximity wearables. According to its report, the 52% injury reduction was achieved with the SafeWork system of StrongArm Tech.
VelocityEHS Industrial Ergonomics also talked about several case studies of their customers. Carhartt cut OSHA recordables by more than half. Johnson Matthey also saw a 97% drop in the number of ergonomic injuries across 35 sites. All of these things are very positive, and you can use these kinds of wearable devices at work.
Use ecosystems that are connected to gas detection
Using Industrial Scientific iNet and other networked detectors with cloud analytics can also help make the workplace safer. You can shorten response times, reduce spot instrument misuse, and make bump/calibration compliance much easier.
Monitor fatigue and distraction for risky driving
Reports say that driver-monitoring systems that use eye-tracking and face analytics have cut down 70–90% of reductions in fatigue events in mining and transportation. This could save your life if you have fleets or mobile plants.
Instead of ropes and dangerous entrances, use drones
Using drones to check things in tight spaces and at high places can also cut down on the amount of time people are exposed to them. According to the National Safety Council, “inspection” incidents may not be a big part of the problem, but working at height and in confined spaces together make up 25% of serious outcomes.
Put incidents, actions, and training on an EHS platform in a standard way
After using Intelex, Greenheck Group saw a 26% drop in TRIR and 67% faster incident investigations. Moss, a construction company, also says that EHSQ tech helped keep TRIR at 0.44 and saved $110,000 on hand injuries in a year. You can show quick responses and avoid future accidents more easily by using the best EHS systems, like Intelex or VelocityEHS, and by centralizing incidents, taking corrective actions, investing in training, and using the right analytics. To make the best decisions for your business, it’s a good idea to learn more about the smart technologies that are available.
To quickly improve compliance, aim your technology at OSHA’s Top 10
Most workplace injuries happen because of problems with fall protection, hazard communication, LOTO, PITs, ladders, and respiratory protection failures. Digital SDS/labels, e-LOTO, PIT AI cameras, and smart fit-testing logs are all examples of targeted smart tools that can help you solve these problems. You can solve a lot of problems at work by using these top tools and technologies. You can always stay in compliance with the necessary guidelines by getting in touch with a safety professional or expert who knows all the OSHA safety rules and regulations.
Close the loop with technology that helps people learn and act
The data shows that there are digital observation apps and micro-learning. When frontline reporting is integrated with targeted training, it can reduce TRIR and DART and also boost trust. When Parker Hannifin linked ergonomics e-learning to redesigning tasks, there were big improvements in workplace safety. You can use the same methods and tools to make your workplace safer and keep your workers safe with the help of the best technologies that are available today. You need to use smart tools that are known to make construction sites and other work sites safer to their fullest potential.
Last Thoughts
It’s not just about gadgets when it comes to making the workplace safer with smart technologies; it’s also about finding the weak spots and using smart tools to fill them in in the best way possible. You should only work with suppliers you can trust and use tools and technologies that have been proven to work. This can help keep your employees safe and make your workplace a lot safer. It can also improve the look of your business, cut your costs, and help it do better than it ever has before.
Also Read: The Role of Technology in Revolutionizing Supply Chain Planning
