Workers’ safety is a major concern for companies in the energy sector, where there are number of physical, chemical and biological risks.
In these environments, rules and processes have been designed and implemented in order to limit and control dangerous and risky situations. However, well established views among the workforce can make it difficult to correctly apply such guidelines, therefore increasing the risk of incidents.
These characteristics among professionals include over confidence, lack of risk awareness, and distraction. Workers’ fatigue also contributes to these factors.
As Industry 4.0 becomes commonplace, advances in technology (e.g. real-time communication, big data, artificial intelligence (AI), human-machine cooperation, remote sensors, monitoring and process control, autonomous equipment and interconnectivity) allow us to increase how we monitor the workplace environment, and give us enormous potential to improve safety.
The ability to give instant feedback if a job is carried out incorrectly, as well as the ability to provide immediate information concerning risks around us, may help us to radically transform safety practices and culture.