AI for Workplace Safety - Detecting Unsafe Behaviors in Real Time

It is well known among safety professionals that unsafe behaviors in the workplace contribute to a significant number of fatalities and injuries. Imagine, therefore, what a game-changer it would be if EHS managers could intervene when these behaviors occur, preventing tragedies from happening or, in the case of near misses, escalating in the future. 

This is especially critical in high-hazard industries where human error can result in catastrophic events.

Behavioral Safety and Proactive Risk Management

Behavioral safety focuses on predictive leading indicators, such as flagging unsafe acts and responding promptly and effectively to prevent incidents, a key aspect of proactive safety management. 

EHS managers can foster a cultural change that promotes safe behaviors throughout the workforce by addressing these indicators.

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Examples of Unsafe Behaviour in the Workplace

Unsafe acts, a clear example of unsafe behaviour at work, may include:

• Drivers using mobile phones while operating vehicles
• Workers taking shortcuts through vehicle zones
• Employees attempting to free jammed objects or remove safety guards
• Staff jumping over barriers in restricted areas

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Proactive Safety Management with Predictive Analytics

One of the difficulties for EHS managers is that they are rarely in the right place at the right time to spot these violations. However, with computer vision-based artificial intelligence (AI), it is now possible to continuously monitor unsafe behaviour in the workplace in real-time 24/7, enabling EHS managers to challenge non-conformance when it happens.

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Challenges of Unsafe Behaviors at Work

Investigations into workplace accidents by regulators like the Health and Safety Executive in Great Britain reveal that unsafe behavior in the workplace is often a significant contributory factor.

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Detecting Fatigue and Ergonomic Risk Factors with AI

Reading through individual prosecution cases, you will often find instances where a factory worker has sustained life-changing injuries attempting to remove a jammed object from machinery, sometimes exacerbated by other factors.

AI can now help identify these additional factors, such as worker fatigue detection, or a delivery driver (or staff member) who has been fatally struck by a forklift in a busy yard where vehicles are moving around pedestrians.

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Using Risk Assessment Automation to Support EHS Teams

EHS managers face daily challenges in maintaining a safe work environment and ensuring the workforce complies with safety protocols. These challenges often intensify when employees are under pressure to meet deadlines or when previous safety violations go unnoticed because they haven't resulted in a serious incident.

Risk assessment automation helps identify potential problem areas early, allowing EHS teams to take preventive action before risks escalate.

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AI’s Role in Predicting and Preventing Workplace Accidents

Unlike many safety programs that use lagging indicators such as fatality, injury, and near-miss data to manage risk, AI helps better predict where problems can arise; this is the power of predictive analytics for EHS management.

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Machine Learning for Safety Patterns

Advancements in AI hazard prediction are transformative. And combined with cutting-edge camera software that continuously tracks worker movements 24/7, AI analyzes vast amounts of data using machine learning for safety patterns to identify common patterns of behavior, including both safe and unsafe acts.

Armed with these rich insights, EHS managers can gain full visibility of activities and are then better placed to step in and minimise and even remove risks. 

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Integrating IoT and Wearables for Enhanced Workplace Safety

This comprehensive understanding can be further enhanced by integrating data from sources like IoT in workplace safety systems, information from wearable safety devices, and alerts from safety sensors, AI focused on specific environmental or equipment conditions.

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Automated Hazard Detection and Real-Time Alerts

Protex AI, a leading international provider of AI for workplace safety , is on a mission to “empower” global EHS teams to protect their industrial workforces.

AI minimizes the risks they face and the likelihood of incidents occurring, ultimately aiming to predict and prevent workplace accidents and injuries, including near-misses, injuries, and fatalities.

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Real-Time Safety Alerts for Unsafe Behaviors

Our behavior-based safety software integrates seamlessly into any work environment’s CCTV network. This AI tool, featuring automated hazard detection, captures and analyzes unsafe behaviors autonomously in real-time, providing crucial real-time safety alerts to EHS teams. 

Its user-friendly functionality allows EHS managers to filter, tag, and share events internally, all while securely preserving worker privacy.

Protex AI provides alerts for various non-compliant behaviors, including:

• Incorrect manual handling techniques (e.g., improper lifting)
• Unsafe pedestrian and vehicle interactions
• Risky shortcuts involving machinery or walking paths

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PPE Compliance Monitoring and Safety Automation

Protex AI allows organizations to take proactive steps such as:

• Improve PPE compliance monitoring
• Reducing accident risk and related costs
• Minimizing production disruptions
• Improving safety automation and compliance

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AI Safety Management Systems and Ethical Considerations

Decision makers that adopt computer vision-based AI tools like Protex AI can build a proactive safety culture in a business by enhancing behavioral safety throughout the workforce, effectively establishing a more comprehensive AI safety management system. 

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Behavior-Based Safety (BBS) AI Solutions

This approach represents an evolution of traditional methods, integrating technology into AI-driven behavior-based safety (BBS) strategies.

Providing EHS managers with effective tools to spot unsafe acts when they happen, means they can step in immediately and highlight the risks associated with this behavior while simultaneously reinforcing safe behaviors that also protects the wider workforce. 

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Ethical AI and Data Privacy in Safety

It is essential that such advancements are guided by principles of ethical AI in safety while ensuring robust data privacy in AI safety to maintain worker trust.

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Turning Insight Into Action With Protex AI

AI-driven safety tools are transforming how EHS teams address unsafe behaviors, moving from reactive investigations to real-time, proactive interventions. 

Protex AI empowers organizations to detect unsafe acts the moment they happen, enabling EHS professionals to take immediate, informed action. 

Ready to reduce workplace risk and build a stronger safety culture? To find out how Protex AI gives you full visibility of unsafe behaviors, get in touch with our team to learn how we can support your safety transformation.

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