The New Frontier: Preparing for the Surge of Wearable Technology in the Workplace

Tracy Moon’s article “The New Frontier: Preparing for the Surge of Wearable Technology in the Workplace” was featured in EHSToday on December 12, 2014.

Wearable technology is a new frontier that employers and safety professionals must prepare to address.   While the business use of wearable-technology devices such as glasses, barcode readers and high-definition cameras is in the early stages, consumer devices such as fitness watches, Google glasses and Apple watches are being sold or soon will be available to the general public for purchase.

In the article, Tracy addresses the risks of wearable technology and provides employers with tips on how to address wearables in the workplace.

Tracy advises employers to conduct a risk assessment for the wearables. Based on the results of the assessment, he recommends that employers develop policies and procedures addressing the identified hazards. These policies and procedures should cover the permissible uses of wearable technology in the workplace, how to use wearables correctly and the consequences if employees fail to comply. These policies and procedures clearly should provide information to employees regarding the safe use of wearable technology. Satisfying this need may require employers to translate the policies and procedures into several languages, based on the makeup of their workforce.

Once the safety assessments are completed and policies and procedures are drafted, employers should train workers on the policies and procedures, giving them an opportunity to ask questions and voice any concerns. As necessary, but at least annually or whenever there is a change in the workplace or an accident, businesses should review and revise the safety policies and procedures to cover any new hazards that exist to ensure safety risks are minimized or eliminated.

To read the full article, please visit EHSToday.