The number of workplace injuries remains largely unchanged year-over-year, with 2.6 million–2.84 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses reported by private industry employers each year from 2017 to 2021. Up to 90% of serious workplace injuries and accidents can be attributed to human error.
While personal protective equipment (PPE) has not traditionally had the technological capabilities to help prevent worker injury due to human error, the latest safety innovations, such as gas detection wearables, can help provide visibility and data-driven insights to help organizations create an adaptable, proactive safety program and establish a culture of behavior-based safety. Connected, wearable products are one of the technologies leading the way for gas-detection programs to evolve and enhance their approach to worker safety and their approach to record-keeping, compliance, and fleet management.
Transforming organizations to a connected program does not happen overnight. The first step is understanding the benefits of wearable technology and how a connected program can work for the organization.
To start, what is a gas-detection wearable? And what are the benefits of connected safety technology? Here are answers to those and some other top questions.
What is a Gas Detection Wearable?
A gas-detection wearable is designed to be worn by all individual workers on their persons while on the job site. Workers—especially lone workers in oil and gas, telecommunications, utilities and construction industries, and industrial contractors—can simply clip the device directly to apparel or other PPE to receive certain critical gas readings and evacuation alerts for their location.