As we near the end of the year, we’re taking a look back at some of our highlights from 2023. For our latest Faces of EHS feature, we are sharing some insights from some of our favorite guests this year. Here are their answers to the question, “How will new safety technologies influence the work being done by EHS professionals?”
Dr. John Howard
Dr. John Howard is the director of the National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety.
Algorithmic management tools, robotic devices, exoskeletons, and other wearable sensor technologies, and as recently seen, the advances seen in generative Artificial Intelligence, like the Chatbot GPT-4 from OpenAI, will influence the work of a number of professions, including EHS practitioners. EHS professionals will be challenged by learning new skills that will enable them to assess and control the new risks arising from these new technologies.
Click here to read Dr. Howard’s full interview.
Amanda Engstrom
Amanda Engstrom is EHS Program Manager for Advance Auto Parts.
There are two big benefits that sit at the forefront of my mind when I consider emerging technologies. The first is ease of assessment and testing. Ergonomics is a perfect area of example. In years past, the impact of movements during the course of work would be calculated based on visual observation and measurement of things such as weight and lift height. With newer wearable devices, we can track movement and provide auditory feedback when motions fall outside of safe zones.
The second is an improvement in training strategies. The use of augmented reality can provide a safe and easily assessable training environment. Active participation is an extremely valuable part of training. Gamification makes typically dull subjects stand out and improves knowledge retention. A larger audience can be reached far more easily through these methods than with hands-on training. Hands on training is not obsolete by any means but interactive training can be a fantastic supplement.
I am a big supporter of EHS equity and providing all individuals with the tools they need to be safe and successful in their job function. Those tools won’t always be the same from person to person. I believe that as technology improves so will our ability to provide more individualized resources instead of designing to the extremes.
Click here to read Amanda’s full interview.
Zach Pucillo
Zach Pucillo is EHS Compliance Manager for KPA.
I have my eye on four main trends over the next five years:
- EHS software: There are many EHS regulations that companies have to keep track of. That gets even more difficult for small and medium sized businesses (SMB) who may not be able to devote several people to managing an EHS program. EHS software can make it much easier for SMBs to manage their safety programs, even ones that might be short-staffed or dealing with turnover.
- ESG reporting: Environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) is becoming a necessity for organizations across the country. It’ll be critical for companies to have a reliable way to report on their effects on the environment, surrounding community, and stakeholders.
- Wearables: The workforce has gone through a generational change. Millennials who grew up with the introduction of mobile technologies are now in managerial and supervisory roles. The next generation entering the workforce are unaware of a time before mobile technology. The industry must continue to adapt to these devices and support their use in a “results now” world. Workers can leverage mobile devices and other handhelds to help keep them safe on the job and immediately identify remediation steps in the event of workplace incidents.
- AI capabilities: Likely more than a few years out, we’ll see a host of true AI capabilities like video interpretation for hazard alerts and motion detection for ergonomic improvements. Those will materialize in the workplace once the total cost of implementation, related capex, and reliability of the software solutions becomes more affordable for middle market companies.
Click here to read Zach’s full interview.
Helen Harris
Helen Harris is Health & Safety Center of Excellence Leader for WestRock.
I would like to say that it is going to make our work easier and it’s my sincere hope! While I believe some technology will make some things easier to do, I also think it will add complexity to our work. So many of the technological advances have to do with the ability to gather data, some of which will require authorization by the employee because of the personal data being gathered. All of the data gathering is said to be predictive in nature, but I think what that actually means is the EHS professionals will need the ability to evaluate the data to determine where and how to prioritize improvement efforts. What I love about the new technological advancements is that the changes mean a new opportunity to improve and gain a new skill—data analysis!
Click here to read Helen’s full interview.