Automation of Workplace Risk Assessment as the future of safety development in work conducted at an industrial plant
The topic of safety of employees who carry out their tasks every day and of workplaces is a mine for discovering new solutions. People responsible for the area of safety are certainly still making efforts so that work can be performed without fear of losing one's health.
The problem lies in non-routine work, which in most cases is carried out by external companies, sometimes by the plant's maintenance department. These are mostly repair, service, modernization work, etc. Issuing a permit for such work involves filling out paper forms. For routine work that is carried out continuously, a permit is prepared, one could say, on a one-time basis. Then employees undergo workstation training, which does not change for years.
In the case of work that is incidental in nature, a special approach is required.
Starting from obtaining the appropriate work permit and conducting a Workplace Risk Assessment. This process in many cases is very complex and requires a lot of time. Most often we encounter paper forms that must be filled out individually for each newly started job. To complete these documents, extensive knowledge and awareness of the dangers present in the given area are often needed. Then both parties meet, the principal and the contractor, and discuss the conditions for carrying out the given task. After accepting the conditions, they sign the form and can return to their duties.
In order to streamline and accelerate this process, modern technology can be used. There are companies that focus on solving problems related to safety management and work permits in industry. Thanks to them, one can free oneself from the constantly growing bureaucracy that is supposed to ensure our safety.
By deciding on such solutions, we can ultimately fully automate processes, which will significantly reduce costs and increase productivity. Such systems will relieve us in many cases. All that is needed is the appropriate system configuration, and it will fill in the data and make the appropriate calculations, which ultimately need to be verified and approved.
Thanks to them, the Workplace Risk Assessment is practically ready.
There are, of course, situations where working conditions change during work. This happens as a result of starting new work near previously opened ones. Certainly an example is an external company generating noise while working with an angle grinder or pneumatic hammer, which was not taken into account in the Risk Assessment of work being carried out nearby. By automating this process, the system can inform employees at all locations about the newly created risk. Therefore, when their workplace safety category exceeds permissible standards – work can be automatically stopped. As a result, to resume them, the application of new protective measures will be required, e.g., earmuffs or earplugs.
In summary, modern solutions enable, above all, efficient and full control over safety during the performance of work. On the other hand, in the case of paper forms, their modifications take significantly more time than in the case of digitized versions available on a smartphone screen.