When it comes to harvest, safety is number one on the agenda. However, no matter how safe we are, accidents still happen. What if technology could help prevent those accidents? To help reduce injuries before they occur, Western Growers Insurance Services rolled out the Connected Worker Program.
Utilizing the latest advancements in wearable technology, the Connected Worker Program measures certain motions and detects unsafe movements of employees during their shift. The data is shared with the supervisor and used to identify risk trends, improve safety measures, and coach workers on injury prevention techniques.
“In developing the data-driven Connected Worker Program, we were equally focused on worker safety and workplace productivity,” stated WGIS President Jeff Gullickson. “With several hundred thousand hours of worker data logged, this solution is proven to lower the risk of injury from field to facility, simultaneously increasing the earnings potential of employees and lowering workers’ compensation costs and insurance premiums for employers.”
An intuitive app collects and tracks data from the wearable devices — which can range from body sensors to a smart phone worn on the belt — providing ongoing analysis of worker movements. In the event of elevated injury risk, an integrated messaging platform provides real-time safety alerts to both the supervisor and employee.
Here’s how it works:
- The Connected Worker Program collects and tracks data from a wearable device that workers wear throughout their shift.
- The program tracks the worker’s motions and detects unhealthy movements, everything from bad lifts and twists to trips and slips.
- Integrated safety alerts provide increased awareness to supervisors and workers to reduce the risk of injury.
“In applying the data trends from the Connected Worker Program, agricultural businesses can identify and evaluate necessary changes to equipment or processes, ultimately promoting a safer work environment, improving operational efficiencies and cutting costs,” Gullickson noted.
Additionally, the Connected Worker Program provides COVID-19 functionality for agricultural operations. With its data collection and GPS capabilities, employers can log temperature readings, record answers to health screening questionnaires and monitor contact tracing.
To request a demo, visit their website.
