Safety management goes hi-tech
Written by Stefan Dubowski 11 April 2012
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At the same time, it seems technology’s evolution has introduced new challenges for the industry to tackle.
Dan Curts, senior technical specialist with 3M Canada, says gas protection equipment exemplifies how much has changed. Over 20 years ago, health and safety professionals used mechanical instruments that took plenty of work to calibrate and analyze. Now, digital gas detectors are the norm, and the devices are used to relay information that would have been difficult to convey in the past.
“In some cases we can be in direct communication with the worker, and we can say, ‘We know you’re in Plant 25. Right now, according to what we can see on the screen, your concentrations of chemical X are elevated. What are you doing right now?’” Curts says, explaining that organizations can react to situations more quickly.
Better batteries ensure that instruments will be powered up and ready to go when needed, he says. And personal protective equipment (PPE) makers are operating with a more sophisticated understanding of what’s needed.
“Most of the larger PPE manufacturers are looking at fully-integrated PPE,” Curts says. “Rather than building equipment in isolation, they’re looking at how this piece works with this other piece.” A hard hat manufacturer may pay more attention to how the hat fits with respirators and eye protection, for instance, so each item no longer competes for space on the wearer’s face and head.
The introduction of computers made a significant difference in terms of health and safety technology, notes Peter Sturm, president of the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering (CSSE). Before the PC era, health and safety information would be shoved away in binders in an office. With computers, that information is readily accessible.
Over the years, computer-based technology prices have come down as well. Whereas early websites would cost tens of thousands of dollars, now it costs less than $1,000 to develop a website, Sturm says. And the web certainly has made it easier for people to share health and safety information.
“If I’m operating a mine in Zambia and I want the best practices for operating a scooptram underground, I can get it,” Sturm says. “I can connect with someone in Sudbury and say, ‘I need the procedures for operating a scooptram.’”
That paves the way for improved standards around the world, with everyone accessing best practices.
“You’re starting to see a harmonization,” Sturm says. “With technology, the best standard becomes the norm for everyone.”
Evolution of standards
Technology has also changed the face of safety standards, says Dave Shanahan, project manager, Canadian Standards Association (CSA). Last January, the organization launched the new edition of the Z462 Workplace Electrical Safety standard.
“We have a much improved section on hazard identification and risk assessment,” Shanahan says. “It corresponds with a new standard coming out on the same subject, 1002, which reflects the availability of software programs that are based on the theory and go through a lot of the complicated calculations required in some of the assessments.”
Equipment tracking isn’t what it used to be. As 3M Canada’s Curts notes, scanning technology such as RFID paired with smart software gives supervisors the ability to see when equipment was last inspected, when it should be inspected again, and when it should be replaced.
But for all of the gains, the health and safety industry still has a long way to go. Griffin Schultz, general manager of data-analysis software company Predictive Solutions, points out that organizations involved in accounting and customer service use data analysis heavily, while many in health and safety are just starting to do so.
Predictive Solutions is bringing analysis to the health and safety realm, working with researchers at Carnegie Mellon University on technology similar to that used by IBM’s famous trivia-finding computer.
“They use the same methodologies applied to Watson to collect data across the Internet, and use it to diagnose medical issues in patients. We’re using related methodologies to help companies predict when they’re going to have safety incidents and fatalities,” Schultz says.
It’s important for the industry to keep moving ahead with technology, says Justin McElhattan, president and CEO, Industrial Scientific Corp. (parent company of Predictive Solutions).
“I have a picture of a chicken in a cage that’s still being used today as a gas detector,” McElhattan says. “I always challenge our engineers and our employees: If we’re just giving our customers a gas detector, it’s nothing more than a more expensive, smaller electronic chicken. That is not enough. Customers need to understand more about their gas detection programs — for instance, how many alarms they’ve had, where they’re having alarms, and if people are exiting when they have alarms.”
Last modified on Wednesday, 11 April 2012 15:34
Dan Curts, senior technical specialist with 3M Canada, says gas protection equipment exemplifies how much has changed. Over 20 years ago, health and safety professionals used mechanical instruments that took plenty of work to calibrate and analyze. Now, digital gas detectors are the norm, and the devices are used to relay information that would have been difficult to convey in the past.
“In some cases we can be in direct communication with the worker, and we can say, ‘We know you’re in Plant 25. Right now, according to what we can see on the screen, your concentrations of chemical X are elevated. What are you doing right now?’” Curts says, explaining that organizations can react to situations more quickly.
Better batteries ensure that instruments will be powered up and ready to go when needed, he says. And personal protective equipment (PPE) makers are operating with a more sophisticated understanding of what’s needed.
“Most of the larger PPE manufacturers are looking at fully-integrated PPE,” Curts says. “Rather than building equipment in isolation, they’re looking at how this piece works with this other piece.” A hard hat manufacturer may pay more attention to how the hat fits with respirators and eye protection, for instance, so each item no longer competes for space on the wearer’s face and head.
The introduction of computers made a significant difference in terms of health and safety technology, notes Peter Sturm, president of the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering (CSSE). Before the PC era, health and safety information would be shoved away in binders in an office. With computers, that information is readily accessible.
Over the years, computer-based technology prices have come down as well. Whereas early websites would cost tens of thousands of dollars, now it costs less than $1,000 to develop a website, Sturm says. And the web certainly has made it easier for people to share health and safety information.
“If I’m operating a mine in Zambia and I want the best practices for operating a scooptram underground, I can get it,” Sturm says. “I can connect with someone in Sudbury and say, ‘I need the procedures for operating a scooptram.’”
That paves the way for improved standards around the world, with everyone accessing best practices.
“You’re starting to see a harmonization,” Sturm says. “With technology, the best standard becomes the norm for everyone.”
Evolution of standards
Technology has also changed the face of safety standards, says Dave Shanahan, project manager, Canadian Standards Association (CSA). Last January, the organization launched the new edition of the Z462 Workplace Electrical Safety standard.
“We have a much improved section on hazard identification and risk assessment,” Shanahan says. “It corresponds with a new standard coming out on the same subject, 1002, which reflects the availability of software programs that are based on the theory and go through a lot of the complicated calculations required in some of the assessments.”
Equipment tracking isn’t what it used to be. As 3M Canada’s Curts notes, scanning technology such as RFID paired with smart software gives supervisors the ability to see when equipment was last inspected, when it should be inspected again, and when it should be replaced.
But for all of the gains, the health and safety industry still has a long way to go. Griffin Schultz, general manager of data-analysis software company Predictive Solutions, points out that organizations involved in accounting and customer service use data analysis heavily, while many in health and safety are just starting to do so.
Predictive Solutions is bringing analysis to the health and safety realm, working with researchers at Carnegie Mellon University on technology similar to that used by IBM’s famous trivia-finding computer.
“They use the same methodologies applied to Watson to collect data across the Internet, and use it to diagnose medical issues in patients. We’re using related methodologies to help companies predict when they’re going to have safety incidents and fatalities,” Schultz says.
It’s important for the industry to keep moving ahead with technology, says Justin McElhattan, president and CEO, Industrial Scientific Corp. (parent company of Predictive Solutions).
“I have a picture of a chicken in a cage that’s still being used today as a gas detector,” McElhattan says. “I always challenge our engineers and our employees: If we’re just giving our customers a gas detector, it’s nothing more than a more expensive, smaller electronic chicken. That is not enough. Customers need to understand more about their gas detection programs — for instance, how many alarms they’ve had, where they’re having alarms, and if people are exiting when they have alarms.”
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