As employers continue to spend billions annually on worker safety programs, injury rates over the past several years have remained stagnant. That statistical plateau has leaders in the safety industry tapping into another resource to take worker safety to the next level: the workers themselves.

A new partnership between safety gear manufacturer Ergodyne and safety platform developer Corvex Connected Safety is aimed at doing just that by connecting “smart” personal protective equipment (PPE) to a platform focused on producing real-time data to and from workers.

Four Safety Categories

The data relates to the safety categories of PPE management, risk management, safety communications, and worker engagement.

 “Advancements in sensor technologies and IoT [Internet of Things] ecosystems have opened the door to obtaining real-time data at the point of safety — the worker,” said Ted Smith, CEO of Corvex.

“Safety happens in real time, and the data we use to prevent injuries should also be the same,” Smith added.

Making the Business Case

Leveraging intelligent safety gear to accelerate meaningful communication between safety professionals and workers —and the time it takes to act upon it — means not only preventing injuries, but, from a very practical business sense, reducing costs and increasing productivity, according to the companies.

“We’re still in the early stages, but already working diligently on building connected intelligent safety solutions that are pretty exciting,” said Tom Votel, president and CEO of Ergodyne.

“At the same time, we’re aware that this exciting leap forward needs to be grounded in real world applications,” he added. “Corvex has leadership with great experience and, critically, they are very practically minded thinkers. That fits with us perfectly, so stay tuned.”

For more information, contact: Ergodyne, (800) 225-8238, www.ergodyne.com