Every day, facts we’re sure of get contradicted by new research, and then that new knowledge will soon, in turn, be replaced by a new fact or truth. For example, standing desks seemed like a great idea, but now it turns out that they might not be. Each post, we shine a light on the latest, so let’s get into this week’s bubbles of knowledge, and let’s see how long it takes before they get burst.

Smart wearables: not just an expense

In terms of worker health and safety, wearables are a smart investment. They don’t just track individual stats like heart rate and electrical activity on a person’s skin. In construction, wearables that identify harmful toxins, that can tell if a worker is carrying a heavy object and can alert others nearby to come help, among many others, are making the difference. They seem like a large expense, despite the benefits, but the ROI of wearables goes beyond the obvious. Laurie Cowin on Construction Dive goes into different types of wearables and explains how they drastically reduce a company’s insurance premiums. That’s actual money saved, so wearables are a smart investment on all fronts. Is your company utilizing smart wearables? Find out more about what is out there and what their benefits are here.

Standing desks: a fad or actually advantageous?

Many workplaces are making the switch to having at least some standing desks available to counteract the sedentary office lifestyle. Being sedentary all day is generally perceived as being detrimental to our health, but David Sparkman on EHS Today explains why standing desks are not the solution. Standing all day might lead to other health problems, and research has proven that people perform certain tasks best while sitting down. Tasks that require a lot of concentration or fine motor skills especially are more effective when done from a chair. The best way forward seems still to be for the employer to encourage employees to take frequent walking breaks and to encourage and facilitate physical activity at work. Want to read the full analysis? Read more to see if standing desks are something for your employees or not!

Training for fatigue risk

Certain jobs pose a high risk of fatigue for the employees, such as jobs with repetitive movements, longer shifts, changing shifts, or mentally demanding work. Being tired not only impairs the employee’s abilities, but also creates a slew of other health risks, and it’s a frequent cause of workplace accidents. Yet incident investigations don’t always take fatigue into account, and therefore it gets ignored during safety training. It pays to have employees be aware of when they’re suffering from fatigue, and teach them some coping strategies (other than drinking the umpteenth cup of coffee). Research shows that implementing a specific fatigue-oriented training is effective, so maybe it’s something for your workplace to consider? Let Susan Sawatzky convince you on EHS daily advisor.

Saving water with innovative cooling strategies

Moving from water cooling to dry cooling has cut down water use for certain US power plants by 95%, which is a strong argument for power plants to consider it. Power generation accounts for 40% of total water withdrawals in the US, so if the plants cut down, water use gets cut down, and that’s good news for all. Hybrid cooling systems are also on the rise, which can be designed to function seasonally: dry cooling during colder periods, and wet during hotter. With the rise in the use of dry cooling, we’ll see more developments soon, and each plant can figure out what systems work best. Jeff Reinke tells us more about this trend on Thomasnet.

Are you reading this sitting down or standing up? Any stance on the standing desk debate? Let us know what you think, or anything else you may be thinking. Use the social media buttons below the title or the contact page, thank you for reading!