Wearable Safety Device Trial by Amey Highlights the Need to Protect At-Risk Workers

U.K.-based infrastructure support service provider Amey has been involved in an eight-week trial to determine if wearable technology can reduce the risks to highway engineers. All the engineers drive a vehicle and can be working at any time of the day and night in any weather and any location, including next to heavy traffic. The company wants to prevent or solve issues faster around lone workers, which can lead to accidents and emergencies going undetected for some time, and drivers falling asleep at the wheel. Amey has been trialing biometric and location devices manufactured by Fujitsu to help detect when a worker is in an emergency, whether by vital sign changes or by the wearer triggering an alarm, to further protect workers in high risk environments. 

Fujitsu’s solution includes many wearable devices. A drowsiness detector collar and ear clip measure the wearer’s blood flow, as certain changes can indicate loss of attention and fatigue. If the wearer (either a driver or a lone worker) becomes drowsy or fatigued, the device sends a haptic notification, allowing the wearer to become more aware and ensure that they take a break. The ear clip provides a more accurate reading of the wearer’s vitals than a wrist-based device. The drowsiness detector is in use by many other companies, including DHL which started with 50 devices in a trail in 2016 and is now looking into a wider scale deployment, and Willer Express which is using the device across 190 buses in Japan following a number of serious crashes.

A rugged wrist-band device monitors the wearer’s vital signs as well as environmental factors to determine if the wearer is showing signs physical distress. It can also detect if the wearer’s posture has changed quickly and dramatically, followed by a period of no movement, which indicates a trip or a fall, and the wearer’s exertion level, to ensure that they are working safely and not putting their body through too much stress. If the wrist-band detects any changes in the wearer’s vitals or environment that indicate an issue, the company can ensure that help is sent immediately and that the wearer gets any necessary medical attention.

The final component of the solution is a location badge which tracks the wearer’s location and features an alarm button that allows the wearer to send an alert for help in the case of an emergency, such as a trip, fall, other injury, threat, or a medical related event. This ensures that help is sent immediately and directly to the wearer to provide medical attention or police presence if required. The user’s location is determined via GPS if outside or via BLE beacons if inside.

All together the solution helps detect a number of different issues and emergencies that are common when workers are in a high-risk environment or situation. As the solution features many different devices that work together, it can monitor several aspects at the same time, helping to ensure that nothing is missed. This also highlights the need for interoperability among wearable devices, with a fully integrated system offering more value and higher safety potential with a full suite of sensors.  

After the trial, Amey is now considering how the technology can be used across its business to provide the extra layer of safety for its up to 19,000 members of staff. The company will be looking into other wearable safety devices and other vendors to ensure that it gets the best possible solution for each scenario, as improving the safety - to prevent sick leave and reduce the chances of staff members leaving the company - is a high priority.

Wearable safety technology is becoming more prominent within the enterprise market, with hazards to workers including slips, trips, falls, violence from the public, fatigue, environmental challenges, medical issues, and more. Many vendors are investigating and offering wearable technologies to help detect these hazards or to provide the wearer with a way in which to send out an alert for help. Companies such as Maven Machines offer wearable headsets that detect driver distraction and fatigue to ensure that drivers are working safely; taking their required breaks, and are not suffering from fatigue. Other companies such as Skyguard offer wearable clips and lanyards that feature a button that, when pressed by the user, activate an SOS call to pre-set contacts or an emergency center to ensure that help is sent immediately in the event of an emergency. This type of implementation also shows the potential of smart clothing going forward. Streamlining wearable use and keeping users comfortable and naturally working will be a primary concern as the enterprise wearables market continues to scale.