As workplace safety evolves, wearable technology is emerging as a tool that may help some employers improve workplace safety and return-to-work outcomes. For workers’ compensation professionals, understanding how these devices operate, evaluating their organization’s needs, implementing them effectively, and addressing concerns and considerations are vital to safer work environments and more effective return-to-work strategies.
Recognizing that not all devices are created equally, CCMSI vets wearable devices by researching, evaluating, and recommending technologies based on performance, reliability, cost, and alignment with client-specific needs. Our role is to help clients navigate the wearables landscape with clarity and confidence, distinguishing between novelty and genuinely beneficial innovation.
What Is Wearable Technology?
Workplace wearable technology includes smart devices worn by employees, including glasses, hearables, helmets, sensor-embedded vests, exoskeletons, and wristbands that monitor movement, environmental conditions, biometric data, posture, and exposure to harmful substances through Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS. These, and myriad other wearables, claim to provide real-time data that can be analyzed to prevent injuries, detect risk factors, and inform workplace safety decisions.
Application
In the immediate, wearable technology can proactively identify hazards to prevent injuries. For example, specific sensors can automatically shut down a piece of machinery if a worker gets too close; similarly, environmental sensors can trigger an alarm if devices register excessive heat or toxins.
Beyond injury prevention, wearables can bolster return-to-work programs by tracking physical data and providing assistance through the use of exoskeletons, which may facilitate an earlier return than anticipated and keep employees safe and physically supported during the transition.
Concerns and Considerations
Despite their potential, wearables are not without considerations and concerns. Information confidentiality and privacy can be a primary concern for employers and employees. Although most wearables collect environmental rather than medical and health data, all parties need to understand what information is being collected, who can access it, and how it will be used. Implementing clear policies and maintaining transparency around data governance is critical.
Affordability is another consideration. While prices have become more reasonable, initial investments in devices and analytics platforms can be significant. In addition to cost, it’s essential to factor in potential challenges associated with understanding the device, its software, and the quality of its data, as well as analyzing, interpreting, and developing the data into actionable workplace safety strategies.
Fundamentally, you want to select wearables that work well for the tasks your employees perform and, crucially, ensure they do not create another hazard. Ask the questions: Does the device interfere with movement? Is it burdensome? Wearable technology should enhance safety and recovery, not compromise them.
Recommended Steps for Employers
For employers considering wearable technology, we recommend the following for a successful adoption:
- Define the need: Before investing in wearables, identify the specific hazard or exposure you want to address and, in particular, what you want to accomplish. Obtain user/worker input as you explore different options during the selection process, and, vitally, confirm the devices demonstrate a quantifiable benefit.
- Choose evidence-based, peer-reviewed technology: As wearable technology is still in its formative stages, it can be tricky to distinguish fact from marketing hyperbole. Much of the research at this stage has been published by the manufacturers and vendors themselves, which can often make finding an unbiased analysis an uphill battle.
- Ensure it’s the right fit for your organization: As a rapidly evolving industry with companies developing new products and technology daily, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and caught up in the newest and most trendy devices. Instead, identify the gaps in your organization to determine which products would help bridge them.
- Obtain employee buy-in: Involve workers in the process, be transparent about the data collection, and invite their questions and concerns before making a decision.
- Conduct a job safety analysis (JSA): To verify that wearables don’t have unintended consequences (e.g., new distractions or an inflated sense of safety), identify potential safety and health impacts, and address each with a JSA.
- Measure outcomes: Before rolling out wearable technology, clearly define your company’s goals and create a benchmarking system to measure its impact before and after implementation.
While not a magic bullet, wearable technology may offer advancements in workplace safety and return-to-work programs, presenting an opportunity to support safety culture and more effective claim outcomes. With CCMSI as a trusted partner, we help our clients navigate the crowded market, cutting through the noise to make informed decisions with data-driven guidance tailored to their operations.
Professional Experience
Since beginning his career in 1994, Mr. Peterson has established a reputation as a respected expert in workplace safety and risk management. Starting as a loss control consultant for United Heartland of Illinois, he later joined Cannon Cochran Management Services, Inc. (CCMSI), providing loss control guidance for multi-line insurance exposures for clients across diverse industries, including government, construction, manufacturing, transportation, and healthcare, delivering tailored solutions that reduce risk and nurture a culture of safety.
As CCMSI’s vice president, corporate loss control, Mr. Peterson leads with a strategic vision, overseeing program quality and consistency, conducting internal audits, evaluating staffing and workload efficiency, and ensuring compliance with state-mandated loss control requirements. In his role as chairman of the Steering Committee, Mr. Peterson helps shape the company’s programs and initiatives. Leveraging his subject matter expertise, he assists with marketing strategies and mentors loss control consultants, guiding their professional growth while spearheading internal training and resource development.
Education and Professional Training
Mr. Peterson holds a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Occupational Safety and Health from Illinois State University, an Associate in Risk Management (ARM), and a Certified Safety Professional (CSP) designation. Committed to staying at the forefront of his industry, he frequently attends professional safety development seminars on topics such as confined space entry and rescue, ergonomics, fleet safety, machine guarding, and risk management.
Professional Activities
Mr. Peterson is an active member of the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) – Central Illinois Chapter.