Enhancing field worker safety with wearable hazard technology

ENHANCING FIELD WORKER SAFETY WITH WEARABLE

HAZARD TECHNOLOGY

Field workers across the utility sector remain integral for critical maintenance, inspections, and metering activities. While the adoption of digital inspections and smart metering is well underway, the safety and wellbeing of workers when deployed to the field remains a critical priority for utility networks.

Focused on innovative digital solutions to address the challenges of the utility sector, the Altavec team developed AIMS Zero, a wearable application designed to improve the safety of field workers operating across the utility sector.

AIMS Zero application, available on the IOS platform phones and wearables, provides workers with rapid, accurate and targeted access to -- and notification of -- surrounding field hazards. Underpinned by geospatial data, the application delivers accurate asset location, critical site information, and back to base alert functionality for critical incidents.

Utilising existing network hazard information and the current location of field workers, AIMS Zero makes real-time alerts available, allowing critical risks to be assessed by field resources prior to commencing work. GPS polling via the AIMS Zero Application Programming Interface (API) means that field users are not tracked. Instead they are alerted of nearby hazards based on user configurable distances. Business sensitive data is encrypted in transit and further secured through Single Sign On, easily integrating with a network’s identity provider. CRITICAL BENEFITS OF WEARABLE TECHNOLOGY

Recently adopted by AusNet Services and their field contractors, AIMS Zero delivered critical back to base alerts for two lone worker fall incidents, ensuring the field workers were attended to quickly and efficiently. The application also provides AusNet field workers an average of 125 advanced warning notifications of proximity field hazards each week, enabling workers to stay alert and prepared. Hazard visualisation in the app enables users to proactively evaluate the level of risk around them with visual context of the hazard to their current location.

More than 3,000 hours of manual end users’ updates have already been saved at AusNet, as the AIMS Zero app enables field workers to input instant feedback and updates on hazard severity, location, and relevance. Reliance on post field reports and spreadsheeting is redundant, as site information, GIS locations, and hazard accuracy updates are automated.

With a user adoption rate of 98 per cent, AusNet’s field workers value the ease of use, ready access, and flexibility of the application.

Feedback from an AusNet meter reader stated, “I love how the defaults are set up and how I can change my settings at any time.”

With 50 users across AusNet now benefiting from the application, proximity safety for field workers is being realised at scale.

The AIMS Zero application won the Workplace Health and Safety Solution of the Year 2021. The WorkSafe Awards recognises excellence in workplace health, safety and return to work, an encouraging validation of Altavec’s focus on innovation is helping utilities realise their digital potential.