March 21, 2025 Enhancing Worker Safety With Smart Digital Solutions

Digital platforms improve workplace safety with real-time monitoring, alerts, and connectivity, keeping lone workers protected.

By Willie Kopp, Nokia

How digitalization ensures industrial workers are never alone  

Enhancing worker safety remains a critical priority for industries around the globe. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed in 2023, work-related injuries resulted in a fatality every 99 minutes. In the EU, 2022 data show an average of 1.66 fatalities per 100,000 workers.  Manufacturers must continuously evaluate and implement improvements towards safer environments for their workers, including the role digitalization has in positively impacting identification, prevention and response related to workplace incidents and events.

Workplace safety can be particularly acute in environments where workers are operating alone – often remotely – at heights, in confined spaces, alongside heavy or mobile machinery, or with potential exposure to hazardous material. A digitalization platform includes the critical connectivity layer for people, assets and processes through the pervasive coverage and security of an always-on private wireless network; this provides the foundation to integrate essential workplace safety application functions such as situational awareness of the working environment, location and well-being of workers, critical communications, early warnings and navigation for lone workers upon emergency incidents. 

Integrate devices and critical applications for lone worker safety use cases

By using ruggedized industrial devices and smart PPE, including hard hats integrated with features such as noise-canceling headsets and remote speaker microphones, lone workers remain protected and in touch with colleagues.  Devices equipped with push-to-X solutions allow them to talk or share data and video with one colleague or many, for even greater situational awareness, even without internet connectivity.

But what if, in an emergency, the lone worker cannot communicate? Man-down solutions offer protection by leveraging gyro sensors within the industrial device that detect changes in rotation and shock. So, should the worker fall, it can use location data to alert the closest colleague. Teams can also access biometric data from some connected PPE, for example, to determine the type of injury, and inform first responders.

Some man-down solutions also require lone workers to check in by regularly pressing buttons on their device and will detect if the worker has been still for a certain length of time. In such an event, automatic alerts will be sent to colleagues.  

One way to rapidly assist an injured colleague is to deploy a drone, equipped with medical equipment. Across a vast factory campus, with obstacles along the way, a drone can be deployed quickly to deliver medicine that can make a difference. They can also be deployed to inspect or access equipment at height, removing risks for lone workers.

Using geofencing solutions in hazardous locations, workers can be alerted to the hazards when their device is recognized within that space. Central teams can also be alerted to monitor the situation, contact the lone worker involved, and prevent potential incidents.

With worker equipment and devices connected over a platform and data being shared with safety applications, manufacturers can use video feeds from connected cameras and data from IoT devices to deliver even greater protection. Lone workers can access machine health, or environmental data from anywhere, allowing them to effectively see around corners and behind doors. They can take preventative measures, including implementing timely maintenance, to avoid issues that could impact safety. This will also serve to avoid bloated replacement costs and downtime, extend the longevity of equipment, and enhance their sustainability credentials.

Gain operational and campus visibility with an Edge compute and AI platform

With a growing need for robust, reliable, and pervasive connectivity, those relying on Wi-Fi or public wireless may find that connectivity gaps around the industrial campus impede worker communications and potentially delay emergency response. Therefore, more manufacturers are turning to 4G and 5G private wireless networks to support their digitalization strategy. And for those that do, there are points to consider.

An Edge compute and AI platform that will integrate with existing operational systems and technologies will allow manufacturers to evolve capabilities gradually and deliver the end-to-end operational visibility they need. To take full advantage of new worker safety and other Industry 4.0 use cases, the platform must incorporate industrial edge data processing, including AI-driven actionable insights. This will ensure data is processed securely on-site in real-time, even as those use cases are expanded.

With such a platform in place, it’s advisable to implement one or two worker safety use cases and measure their success before expanding further. What to deploy first will depend on individual worker safety goals, the structure and space within the campus, and the work being done there. It’s advisable to select a digitalization platform that seamlessly integrates an array of devices and solutions – as there are many to choose from.

Benefit from ever-evolving worker safety capabilities

A Nokia and GlobalData report has revealed that 65% of industrial enterprises saw at least a 10% improvement in worker safety within the first six months of deploying a digitalization platform leveraging private wireless and industrial edge.  Top use cases include geofencing, alarm systems, and connected workers.

It is not only worker safety that will improve, as Industry 4.0 use cases are implemented, manufacturers will experience productivity, efficiency, sustainability, and many other gains. And, with clear visibility across a single digitalization platform, as technology evolves, they can implement ever-more increasingly sophisticated worker safety use cases to deliver the greatest protection for lone workers across their campuses.

About the Author:
Willie Kopp is the Head of NAM Enterprise Campus Edge Business, CNS Cloud and Network Services at Nokia. With over 15 years of experience in sales leadership, Willie has made significant contributions to the Networking and Wireless sectors. His journey began at Cisco Systems, where he developed cutting-edge Sports and Entertainment Solutions and most recently led the Americas Industrial IoT Sales. As a visionary leader, Willie has held key roles, including Director of Sales, IoT Americas, and CTO of Cisco Sports and Entertainment Solutions. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Electrical Engineering from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.

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