Business First December 2017 December BF Digital | Page 28
INNOVATION
Health & Safety
in a Digital Workplace
by Mark Maguire, Chief Technology Officer, Fujitsu Northern Ireland
iven the pace of digital transformation
in the last decade and the generational
shift in people’s attitude towards the
use of technology, businesses are placing a
greater emphasis on the need to futureproof
their workplaces.
Part of meeting this exciting challenge is
understanding how technology can deliver
effective solutions that also add knowledge to
an organisation.
It can be hard to appreciate the true value
and potential of emerging technology trends
like Artificial Intelligence (A.I), the Internet of
Things (IoT) and Big Data without seeing
practical, everyday applications.
These aren’t abstract concepts used only to
build robots or selfdriving cars, rather their
principles can be applied to overcome real,
every day challenges across sectors.
An area of particular focus for us is how
technology can be used to tackle traditional
workplace issues such as health and safety
with simple, innovative tech that adds real
value.
One way in which we are doing this is
through a range of internet enabled wearable
devices that harness the power of IoT and can
be easily incorporated into everyday routines
by businesses and employees.
For example, our ‘Driver Drowsiness
G
26 www.businessfirstonline.co.uk
Detector’ is a wearable device that helps
protect drivers, pedestrians and other road
users from the dangers of falling asleep at the
wheel.
The detector works by monitoring the
driver's biorhythms via a sensor attached to
the earlobe.
It gauges drowsiness levels before they can
have an impact on reaction times and notifies
the driver via vibrations on part of the device
worn around the neck.
As well as instantly warning the driver, the
device can be linked to fleetmanagement
systems so managers can monitor the
conditions of their drivers in real time and
provide support based on the data collected.
With an estimated 40 per cent of
commercial vehicle accidents in the UK
occurring due to driver fatigue, this cutting
edge technology is a simple but very effective
way to help protect road users while
providing businesses with a tool that can help
them optimise routes.
While protecting people in a static
workplace like an office can be relatively
straightforward, doing so in an operational
environment such as warehouses, factories,
on roads or in potentially hazardous
situations such as working at height, can be
considerably more complex.
Wearable technology can help overcome
that complexity and support businesses as
they strive to prevent employees coming to
harm.
If you have an engineer working out in the
field for example, historically you would only
know their status and location if they
provided that information to you.
Through wearable devices such as our ‘Vital
Sensing Band’ or ‘Location Badge’ both of
which are small and lightweight – businesses
can accurately monitor the location of
workers and their health and safety through a
range of sensors with alerts predefined to
trigger in event of an incident such as a fall.
Many of our wearable devices are already
being successfully used in Japan and trialled
by companies in the UK with the resulting
data aiding decision making and planning.
Every business in Northern Ireland has
already experienced digital disruption and
transformation to some degree. From smart
phones through to cardreaders, Bluetooth
headsets and online reporting, we have all
embraced aspects of connective technology to
stay competitive and enhance productivity.
IoT enabled wearable devices is a critical next
step on this journey as we look to future
proof and protect our businesses.
With an estimated 40 per cent of commercial vehicle accidents in the UK occurring
due to driver fatigue, the Driver Drowsiness Detector is a simple but very
effective way to help protect road users while providing businesses with a tool that
can help them optimise routes.