Wearable tech aids in research of worker fatigue

The American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) Foundation released a fatigue research report that shows the value of wearable technology in the workplace.

The study demonstrated how to capture a worker’s safety performance and translate the data into personal fatigue levels.

“Fatigue is a hidden danger in the workplace, but now we’ve tackled the measurement and modeling of fatigue through wearable sensors, incorporating big data analytics and safety engineering,” says Lora Cavuoto of the University of Buffalo.

The research involved 25 participants wearing non-obtrusive wrist, hip and ankle sensors while completing three tasks commonly performed by manufacturing workers – assembly, stocking and remaining in a static or flexed position. Each person worked in three-hour increments.

“By setting parameters, we identified behavioral changes in how people conduct work over time,” Cavuoto says. “For example, we saw how workers performed the same task in the first hour as compared to the third hour when fatigue became a factor. Wearable technology can uncover precursors to larger problems and help establish safety interventions that may call for scheduled breaks, posture adjustments or vitamin supplements that help the body.”