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How We Can Ensure Employees are Safe on the Job in Manufacturing Plants

What’s the Problem?

It is important for people to be safe when working, especially in manufacturing plants. Manufacturing plants are industrial sites where items are produced by workers who operate heavy machinery. Often times, this can be dangerous, so it is important for all workers to be properly outfitted in safety equipment at all times. However, there are times when employees do not follow safety protocol, and this puts them and the other employees at risk of injury. There are a variety of personal protective equipment (PPE) that workers in a manufacturing plant are supposed to wear on a daily basis. Some safety equipment might include construction jackets, hard hats/helmets, goggles, sturdy shoes, or gloves, to name a few. With so many items necessary, it is difficult to ensure that all workers are wearing them at all times.

The Solution

The solution stems from artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence is a branch of computer science that works on developing simulations of human intelligence in machines or computer systems. Ultimately, the goal of artificial intelligence is to replicate human intelligence so that machines can carry out tasks that require general human intelligence. AI works by taking in large amounts of data and teaching the machine to recognize patterns. This then enables the machine to be able to perform tasks such as learning, decision making, problem solving, and reasoning.

One solution that is currently being developed and tested is using artificial intelligence to identify whether people are wearing their protective equipment or not. It’s difficult keeping track of so many people and making sure that each one is following proper safety precautions and wearing each and every piece of equipment. However an AI detection system would help to detect who is complying and who is not.

How it Works

The AI system has been fed many pieces of data so that it can identify all types of protective gear. The data includes the PPE in a variety of different instances and vantage points. This allows the system to learn how a particular item will look, and from then on, the system will start to learn to identify these items on its own.

The system then works by identifying an individual. It uses mapping to scan the person and determine if the proper safety equipment is present. It does this by comparing what it sees on the individual to the data it has on file. If the system detects there to be a piece of protective equipment missing, it will beep. This alerts someone that there is an individual that is not following proper safety protocol.

Where and Why This Technology is Helpful

This artificial intelligence detection system would be helpful for a variety of reasons. One reason is that it is much more reliable compared to having real people watch to see if people are wearing their protective equipment. This is because a system can be much more accurate than humans. Humans are susceptible to distractions and fatigue, while a software program never tires and will be able to accurately identify the safety equipment of each and every individual. Another reason this detection system would be helpful is that it would ensure that all employees are outfitted properly for their job. When people are wearing the right equipment, it is less likely that they will become injured. Moreover, it can be used in a wide range of industries such as construction, manufacturing, services, etc..