Hi everyone, we have great news! We chose the World Day of Safety and Health at Work as the best day to launch our brand new TenForce roundup: The Future is Wow. From now on, we’ll be keeping an eye out for the latest technology innovations in EHS, process safety, manufacturing, Industry 4.0., data intelligence, citizen engagement, governments and more. We will feature the most interesting articles out there in a weekly roundup to share with you all. If you want to make sure you’ll never miss one, subscribe here.

28 April is the World Day for Safety and Health at Work, an annual organization of the International Labour Office (ILO). Workers between 15 and 25 years make up 15% of the global workforce but suffer a 40% higher rate of occupational injuries than older employees. The 2018 SafeDay campaign rightly focuses on a culture of prevention in occupational health and safety (OHS) for those young workers. This made us wonder, how does tech-driven innovation improve OHS to align with the younger, digitally savvy workforce? Let’s dive into our first TenForce roundup to find out.

AI and machine learning reshape OHS

In The Next Web, George Beall points out three innovations – AI & machine learning, e-learning and wearable tech – that will radically reshape the safety industry. Let’s zoom in one of his elaborated insights: thanks to automated machine learning, malfunctioning of factory machinery will be detected without human intervention. By identifying anomalies proactively (overheating, loose parts) and insisting on preventive maintenance, AI and machine learning create a much safer environment. Important to note: however smart and successful these digital innovations prove to be, never save on training humans. (Something Tim Brown also points out in this blog’s next contribution.) Read more

Never forget the human factor

Good health is good for business. Safe workplaces lead to sounder financial results. No one wants to get hurt at work, no one wants to be responsible for someone else getting hurt. Rationally and emotionally, we are looking for methods to reduce risk in the workplace, but accidents do happen. The manufacturing industry even tends to have a higher risk rate, making the need for prevention paramount. Tim Brown pleas In The Manufacturer for a dedicated specialist to perform detailed audits of your company, but even more so stresses the importance of adequate health and safety training. A case of common sense? There’s more to it. Read more

VR gives a helping hand

Do you still pay attention when the flight attendant on your plane gesticulates to point at the safety instructions? You have probably seen this routine performed countless times, so you don’t notice it anymore. The same is sadly true when new staff members or subcontractors get their briefing at, for instance, a building company. More so because many of them frequently move from site to site. The traditional PowerPoint presentation and questionnaire hardly give the workers the necessary knowledge to stay out of harm’s way. In NewCivilEngineer, Margo Cole argues that an immersive virtual reality (VR) should get the viewer as close to reality and potentially dangerous situations as possible. To maximize the impact, the 360° 3D-movie should use real staff as actors, moving around at the real site. Read more