Smart Protective Protection Equipment for an accessible work environment and occupational hazard prevention

Abstract

Wearable technologies have begun to play an important role in the workplace. This paper presents a Smart PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) solution which employs a sensor network located on a helmet and a belt to monitor the state of the worker and the environment. Most of the accidents that occur in the workplace are caused by the lack of prevention measures, poor safety training and obsolete safety systems which do no adapt technologically to the needs of today’s work environments. The solutions provided by Industry 4.0 for hazard prevention and propose a wireless PPE model that incorporates intelligent tools and fabrics capable of reacting in real time to a risk situation. This novel model implements continuous risk monitoring biometrics of the worker, detects the external impact, shock, luminosity, gases, temperature of the environment and provides real-time recommendations to workers. The motivation behind this work is to improve health and safety in work sectors with high accident risk.