At Predictive Safety, we’re all about effective safety initiatives, after all, safety is in our name!
We’re often asked where the ‘bang for the buck’ is in terms of safety gains that companies across industries can undertake to improve site and workplace safety.
Of course, implementing AlertMeter® and PRISMTM are two highly effective and cost-efficient ways to improve safety as well as manage impairment issues such as the legalization of marijuana in many states.
Beyond these, here’s a list of safety initiatives that your company can consider.
Safety Initiative #1: Focus on a Positive Safety Culture
In speaking with Asphalt Pavement about the need for empathetic leadership in the construction industry, Zach Knoop, the General Manager of Safety Services at Caterpillar Inc., said:
"Look at employee retention and turnover, for example. People want to work for organizations or leaders that they believe genuinely care about them. If you only hire for the body and do not engage the hearts and minds of your workforce, they won’t stay around long."
Having the type of empathetic leadership that encourages strong employee retention during these stressful times of labor shortages makes all the difference for businesses.
A recent survey by the Associated General Contractors of America and Autodesk reported on the construction industry found that 52% of survey respondents had a hard time filling some or all hourly craft positions:
(Source: ENR)
The pressure on industries like these to attract and retain employees has meant that proactive workplace safety measures and empathetic and caring leadership have become central to the survival of businesses.
Even if employee turnover wasn't an issue, it's not like anyone can afford to have a poor workplace safety culture and suffer a costly safety incident right now.
To learn more about the bottom line benefits of a positive safety culture, read here. You can also read our Ultimate Guide to Safety Culture to find out more about ways that you can improve your own workplace safety culture.
Safety Initiative #2: More Mobile Apps and Tools
The entire world continues to become more digital every year.
Quick chats by the water cooler turned into emails, conference room meetings are now Zoom calls, and every other original thought a Slack message. Everyone's doing virtual happy hours and playing each other on chess apps.
This has created the ideal environment for all the tech nerds waiting to pitch their unique new app ideas.
Meanwhile, companies that embrace digital innovation continue to be successful leaders in their industries.
According to McKinsey & Company, companies that were the first in their industries to experiment with new technologies or who invested more in technology were twice as likely to report outsize revenue growth than other companies (McKinsey & Company).
In safety-sensitive and essential workplaces, the combination of the need for a more positive workplace safety culture combined with the spike in digitalization created a greater demand for apps like AlertMeter® and the Global Virus Pass:
- A 60-second fit-for-work test, the AlertMeter® helps workplaces identify workers struggling to stay alert due to impairments such as fatigue, illness, intoxication, stress, dehydration, and more. Its ability to identify potentially impaired workers has allowed workplaces to quickly adopt a more proactive approach to workplace safety, improve productivity, reduce workplace safety incidents, and cut worker's comp claims and drug testing costs.
- The Global Virus Pass is another app that has helped essential workplaces stay open, safe, and productive with features such as contact tracing, site access management, COVID-19 screening, access to COVID-19 tests, and more. Click here to schedule a demo and learn more.
Safety Initiative #3: Shifting Focus from Detection to Prevention
in a recent Verdantix survey comprising 403 safety managers from around the world, 51% of survey respondents said that improving incident management was their number one concern,
Thankfully, technology has risen to the challenge. Predictive safety analytics software now allows workplaces to shift their primary focus from detecting workplace safety risks to preventing workplace safety risks.
According to Columbia Southern University,
"To remain competitive, companies will employ more and more machine-learning-dependent safety software and attempt to stop accidents in their tracks before they occur...This year will see an emphasis on quality safety data-gathering" (CSU).
A few apps that focus on preventing workplace safety risks before they pose a real threat to your operations include:
- PRISM: A software originally developed for miners which predicts when workers will reach dangerous fatigue levels and then sends them countermeasures and alerts, and notifies their supervisors when needed.
- AlertMeter®: A 60-second alertness test that allows safety managers to identify potentially impaired workers before they start working, instead of waiting for a post-accident drug test to reveal it.
- The Global Virus Pass: An app that manages site access so that workers who've tested positive for COVID-19, been exposed to COVID-19, or are displaying COVID-19 symptoms are denied site access, limiting exposure and preventing a COVID-19 outbreak.
- To learn more about these apps and to get all three-in-one, schedule a demo here.
Safety Initiative #4: New Smart PPE
Although smart PPE was already on the rise before COVID-19, the new demand created by front-line healthcare workers and essential workers may have helped speed up the introduction and implementation of such technologies.
As industrial workplaces opened back up post-lockdown, there was a spike in demand for smart PPE in order to ensure workplace safety compliance and limit exposure to the virus.
According to Globe Newswire:
"The havoc wreaked by the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak forced frontline workers to wear smart devices such as smart helmets and smart watches to screen and detect potentially infected people. These not only ensured quick detection of infection in people but also protected healthcare workers from catching the infection from patients" (Globe Newswire).
Another report states, "The demand for smart PPE is expected to gain rapid momentum as the industrial sector is expected to invest heavily in smart PPE to provide a safe and secure work environment..." (Fortune Business Insights)
The latest PPE trends will include gear that will monitor users' health and gather important data such as blood pressure, steps, heart rate, blood oxygen levels, sweat levels, and vital signs. According to Columbia Southern University,
"Manufacturing and healthcare workers are hoping that PPE wear will also monitor workers' fatigue and alertness. This will allow managers to create schedules and propose breaks more efficiently" (Columbia Southern University).
Amongst these new PPE trends are:
Smart Shoes by Intellinium
These smart shoes are able to detect when a worker has fallen or is still for too long and can send and receive alerts.
Smart Gloves by ProGlove and Ansell
"ProGlove’s hand-free barcode scanners can cut 1.5 tons of lifting from a single shift compared to an average scanning pistol. Plus, real-time scan feedback helps optimize hand movements and reduce errors up to 33%."
Smart Eyewear by Vuzix
These glasses come with a headband with a built-in camera, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, a speaker, touchpad, flashlight, and more. (Vuzix)
Safety Initiative #5: A More Holistic Approach to Health and Safety
"67% of U.S. workers say they’re burned out" (Gallup).
Workplaces have had to acknowledge the importance of mental health, no matter how macho the industry may be.
Kathryn Mayer, benefits editor at Human Resources Executives said,
"Mental health is on track to become its own pandemic in the years to come—and employers need to work fast to get ahead of it" (HRE).
In 2021, workplaces will go to greater lengths to accommodate and address mental health. This initiative may take the form of:
- use of technology to identify struggling workers, such as the AlertMeter® app
- more resources devoted to mental health training and workplace counseling
- more flexible scheduling options, better benefits and rewards
- more empathetic and compassionate leaders.
Safety Initiative #6: Autonomous Vehicles
(Source: NHTSA)
Between 2010 and 2016, large truck drivers benefited from the introduction of advanced driver assistance features such as:
- Rearview Video Systems
- Automatic Emergency Braking
- Pedestrian Automatic Emergency Braking
- Rear Automatic Emergency Braking
- Rear Cross Traffic Alert
- Lane Centering Assist
Since then, partially automated safety features like the following have been implemented:
- Lane keeping assist
- Adaptive cruise control
- Traffic jam assist
- Self-park
In the future, we will see wider implementation of partially automated workplace safety features as well as continued development in fully automated safety features and a highway autopilot feature.
Safety Initiative #7: Increased Communication, Counseling, and Training
With issues such as burnout, absenteeism, employee turnover, heightened mental health concerns, a new focus on positive workplace safety culture, and brand new technologies, frequent and effective training and communication will become paramount as we move forward.
Health and safety managers will be tasked with onboarding and training new workers taking over for sick, burnt out, or quarantined workers.
Safety supervisors and managers will set apart more resources to identify and assist employees who may be struggling. Implementing an effective response to such issues will require more training for all managers and workers.
As new technologies enter the workplace, more time will be spent training workers and their managers on how to use them.
Some technological tools will further facilitate increased communication.
AlertMeter®, for example, notifies supervisors when a worker is struggling to stay focused and alert so that the two may meet and discover the underlying issue before it poses a threat to workplace safety.
Safety Initiative #8: More Safety Professionals
With all the added pressure to create a safe, healthy, happy, and productive workplace, there will be a greater demand for well-rounded and ambitious safety professionals.
As health and safety takes on a more holistic meaning, the safety professionals will need to be empathetic and compassionate leaders with an understanding of common mental health issues.
They will need to be relatively tech-savvy and keep up with all the new technological workplace safety tools in order to remain competitive.
They will need to be good communicators and, prompted by more alerts and notifications, will need to make time to speak directly with workers to identify and address issues.
Thankfully, the explosion of online certifications, webinars, and workshops has made it more convenient to get the necessary training and certifications to become a safety professional in the demanding safety-sensitive workplace.
Safety Initiative #9: Unified Leadership to Balance Safety and Productivity
COVID-19 made health and safety a priority for everyone--from the CEOs down to each front-line worker.
"A lot of employees, like customers, remain reluctant to balance personal safety with wages. According to a study by Branch, despite a loss of income, 53% of employees were hesitant or declined to apply to new jobs due to fear of exposure" (QSR Magazine).
Moving forward, the challenge for everyone will be to meet increased productivity demands without throwing safety out the window.
Balancing these two priorities will require strong and unified leadership amongst all managers and supervisors, open communication between workers, managers, and executives, and a shared overarching mission that engages every member of the company.
