What is Hi-Vis Detection?

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Hi-vis detection, also known as high visibility apparel detection, is a technology that allows cameras to detect whether subjects are wearing high visibility workwear or not. 

High visibility gear must be worn on designated locations and areas, including construction sites, public roads, or other locations. High visibility safety gear makes it easy for others to see the individual wearing hi-vis clothing, even in dimly lit conditions. 

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The Importance of High Visibility Detection

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Hi-vis detection plays an important role in reducing accidents and ensuring worker safety on site. High vis clothing, including vests, coveralls, and bibs are a legal requirement in workplaces where visibility conditions are low. 

This becomes all the more important when employees are working near moving objects, such as cars, trucks, or machines, including forklifts or cranes. 

High visibility safety gear makes it easy for drivers and operators to spot wearers from afar, allowing them to maintain their distance. High visibility clothing is usually brightly colored, often including orange or yellow. 

Moreover, hi-vis clothing is often fluorescent, featuring retroreflective stripes that shine bright when light falls on them. This makes it easy to spot from a distance, thus improving “visibility.”

However, there’s always a risk that an employee may forget to wear hi-vis clothing before they venture into a designated area. This creates a major safety hazard and could result in serious injuries. 

Hi-vis detection ensures this doesn’t happen. Using AI technology, hi-vis detection can help companies identify whether employees on-site are wearing high visibility safety apparel or not. 

If they aren’t, they are instantly alerted and notified. Some AI technologies also rely on facial recognition to detect employees and send them a notification.

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How Does Hi-Vis Detection Work?

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High visibility detection primarily works through conventional CCTV cameras. Conventional cameras simply record video. However, when connected to a AI workplace safety solution, they can be used to detect different objects. 

Hi-vis detection is possible through the use of computer vision and video content analysis. Computer vision is essentially a technology that uses deep learning to “train” computers to detect differences between images. 

Over time, the computer is more capable of distinguishing between different sets of images. As a result, it becomes more and more accurate in its ability to detect hi-vis gear. 

If an employee isn’t wearing hi-vis safety apparel, the computer can detect that. It can then send an alert to those in charge, or even to the employee themselves. 

In most cases, there’s no need for companies to invest in additional hardware. While third-party equipment is available that uses infrared to detect the use of high visibility safety apparel, this isn’t always necessary. 

Advanced AI workplace solutions can simply integrate with existing CCTV networks, making it easier for companies to scale and adopt this technology, without having to spend large sums of money. 

AI workplace safety solutions rely on advanced algorithms to process large amounts of information. They are fed hundreds of thousands of images which allow the algorithm to accurately detect if a subject is wearing hi-vis gear or not. 

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The Benefits of Using Hi-Vis Detection

Using hi-vis detection in the workplace offers many benefits, some of which are detailed below.

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Lower Risk of Accidents

The use of hi-vis detection technology significantly lowers the risk of accidents on work sites. It ensures that all employees allowed on the site wear proper safety gear and immediately alerts those who fail to comply.

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Compliance with Safety Protocols

Furthermore, hi-vis detection makes it easy for organizations to comply with local laws and regulations. In case an employee forgets to wear their safety gear, they’ll be instantly alerted, thus mitigating the risks of any safety breaches.

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Improved Safety Performance

Hi-vis detection is just one of the many ways by which companies can improve their safety performance overall. It’s one of the many measures that companies can take to reduce the changes of accidents and make work sites safer. 

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Scalable Solution

Hi-vis detection is possible thanks to AI algorithms that can process video being fed through a CCTV network. You don’t need to purchase any additional equipment for using this equipment; it can be hooked up to your existing infrastructure. 

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Use Protex AI for Precise Hi-Vis Detection

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Protex AI is a workplace safety solution that uses AI to capture unsafe events, detect the use of safety equipment, including hi-vis safety gear, and empowers EHS teams to make effective decisions about workplace safety. 

It improves the performance of safety audits, allowing companies to configure safety rules and then track overall performance. Armed with video evidence, they can effect change across the company and improve safety overall.