Wearables for Industrial Work Safety: A Survey

Area of Science:

• Occupational Safety and Health
• Industrial Technology
• Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

• Workplace safety is a critical priority, with injuries and fatalities causing significant financial and reputational damage.
• Wearable devices, a product of Industry 4.0, offer new possibilities for monitoring and improving safety in industrial environments.
• Systematic knowledge is needed to evaluate the effectiveness and integration of industrial wearables for occupational safety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematize knowledge on industrial wearable safety and assess their relevance in enterprises.
• To correlate the benefits and costs associated with implementing wearable technology for occupational safety.
• To identify research gaps and suggest future research directions for industrial wearables in workplace safety.

Main Methods:

• Categorization of industrial wearable functions into four classes: monitoring, supporting, training, and tracking.
• Classification of metrics collected by wearable devices to understand their role in safety.
• Discussion of communication technologies and localization techniques used in wearable safety solutions.
• Analysis of challenges hindering the widespread adoption of wearable devices for industrial safety.

Main Results:

• Industrial wearables can be categorized by function (monitoring, supporting, training, tracking) and the data they collect, providing a framework for understanding their safety applications.
• Key communication and localization technologies are essential for effective wearable-based safety systems.
• Several challenges, including implementation costs and data security, need to be addressed for broader adoption.

Conclusions:

• Industrial wearable technology presents a significant opportunity to enhance occupational safety across various industries.
• A clear understanding of wearable functions, metrics, and underlying technologies is crucial for maximizing their safety benefits.
• Further research and development are needed to overcome existing challenges and fully realize the potential of wearables in industrial work safety.