Implemented correctly, digital solutions can ‘deliver irresistible returns’

The research firm McKinsey found that these returns range from up to 50% reduction in machine downtime, up to 30% increases in throughput, up to 30% increase in labor productivity, and 85% more accurate forecasting. If digital transformation were a set of keys, this is what the unlocking of potential would look like – measurable returns on digital investment across every touchpoint within the organization.

 

One of the most significant areas that benefits from intelligent investment into technology is safety – safety for workers, facilities, machinery and operations. This aligns with the changing market landscape and increased pressures across operational methodologies, competitive differentiation, and shifting workforce demands. The reality is that companies need to do more than just adopt lean philosophies; they have to invest in a human-centered approach that leverages technology to connect workers and improve efficiencies.

 

Enter Safety 4.0. An approach recently described in EHS Today as the ‘era of Cyber Physical Systems’. It’s the connection of devices, wearables, data, insights, analytics, and systems into a cohesive ecosystem that alerts, protects, prevents, and manages. It’s real-time proactive and preventative decision-making that translates into a new worker paradigm that delivers ROI across talent retention, uptime, and service delivery.

 

These are the six things that matter when it comes to Safety 4.0 and ensuring its effective implementation:

 

01:  Proactivity is key

Your organization can reach the next level of operational excellence and profitability by controlling, managing, and streamlining all actions and risks. How? Connecting all systems into one centralized platform will allow operators, managers, and decision-makers to proactively identify hazards, analyze risks and implement risk controls. This is driven by real-time data collection combined with artificial intelligence (AI)-driven predictive analytics – together delivering meaningful and actionable insights that can be read, actioned, and understood by all relevant personnel across all tiers of the organization.

 

02: A constant flow of information

Build a proactive organization by ensuring a constant flow of relevant information from the workers, processes, facilities, devices, and machines. Most companies still struggle to reduce their reliance on paper-based processes and systems, and this inhibits their ability to mitigate risks. Paper is, after all, a very flimsy barrier to protect against industry incidents. Focus instead on connected worker solutions that put workers at the heart of the data revolution.

 

The GOARC Connected Worker solution is a native mobile phone application that provides workers with access to real-time information 24/7. It includes insights into facility conditions and gamification features designed to promote safe behavior and motivate workers to remain compliant and safe. It also ensures a constant flow of information throughout the business, from worker to device to decision-maker to dashboard, so that complex situations can be resolved at speed with worker safety and productivity remaining a top priority.

 

 

03: Rapid decision-making that’s proactive and preventative

The two keywords here are: proactive and preventative. These two words are the difference between an incident that costs lives, money, downtime, and reputation and an incident that never happens. Leveraging digital solutions that connect data and people across every facility and touchpoint, companies can potentially catch issues before they become problems. If workers are digitally connected in real-time, they can provide immediate visibility into system functionality, bottlenecks, and potential risk factors. This is further enhanced by intelligent data management capabilities that use AI and machine learning (ML) to ensure the data is valid, relevant, contextualized, and immediate. When workers have access to this rich layer of information, they can make rapid decisions based on analytics and facts, which transforms productivity and safety.

 

04: Intelligent data management and broken silos

Focus on developing edge-to-enterprise visualization and intelligent data management systems that use AI and ML to provide you with every drop of information you need when you need it. This is the route to removing the limitations traditionally imposed by silos as connected workers, systems, and platforms ensure that information flows smoothly throughout the organization and provides operations and decision-makers with real-time insights. It allows for immediate visibility into anomalies while also providing corrective actions and support when required.

 

05: Putting health and safety at the front

Now, take all this data and all this functionality and turn back to the central concept of worker safety. With these extensive analytics and risk assessment capabilities now at everybody’s fingertips, data becomes an asset that can transform health and safety. You can undertake risk-based inspections based on threat likelihood and potential consequences, proactively identifying hazards and implementing risk controls based on real-time data.

 

06: A cohesive platform that delivers all-in-one functionality

All these innovative features and functionalities can be implemented throughout the organization thanks to the wonders of digital transformation. And then there’s GOARC Safety 4.0. This is less a solution and more an ecosystem that ticks every box when it comes to proactive, preventative, real-time data analysis and worker safety management. GOARC Safety 4.0 pulls together fully integrated data from all systems to provide a clear operational picture, dynamic risk management, AI-driven predictive and proactive metrics, advanced risk models, benchmarking, and more.

 

The platform can also provide benchmarking across business units, facilities, and regions while allowing all decision-makers and workers to leverage actionable insights built on the solid foundations of real-time and historical data to ensure relevance and reliability. It’s personalized, visual, and functional, and it transforms operational visibility and the very concept of worker safety.

 

Ticking the boxes of optimization and digitization can fundamentally change worker safety management and protocols for the organization. The future of human-machine interface bringing collaborative and intelligent engagement to the facility floor while allowing for the seamless flow of information across every touchpoint, individual and station. GOARC Safety 4.0 proves the rule when it comes to making sure that these boxes aren’t just ticked, they’re perfectly fitted to your business.