Project Overview

At factory manufacturing sites and outdoor construction sites, the impact of brutal summer heat on the health of employees and the early detection of accidents are pressing issues. Particularly in large-scale manufacturing and construction sites, the large number of workers engaged and the size of the area to be monitored place a heavy burden on the site supervisor's [HH1] responsibilities, and the introduction of digital technology proves essential for the creation of a safe working environment.

 In light of this situation, the client company, a building materials manufacturer, decided to introduce digital technology to ensure employee safety and reduce the burden on site supervisors. To realize the digitization of safety management, JP Tokyo provided project support for the selection and evaluation of such a solution.

Project Process

1  Analysis of Risk Factors

ž  Analyzed external risks due to environmental factors and internal risk factors caused by employees as possible risks to them at the work site.

2  Solution Selection

ž Categorized risks into those arising from the employee's own physical condition and activities and those arising from the work environment and selected solutions to address each.

ž Selected a watch-type solution for monitoring physical conditions from the standpoint of portability and versatility, and WBGT measurement sensors for monitoring the external environment.

ž Adopted a LPWA network in consideration of the impact of interference on existing wireless communications.

3  Verification and Evaluations

ž Verification of the accuracy of acquiring biometric data and location information by wearable devices, establishment of communication environment by the LPWA network, and acquisition of external environmental information by linking with WBGT measurement sensors

ž Verified the seamless positioning method in conjunction with BLE beacons.

4  Report of Verification Results

ž Prepared a report on information collection and network construction by linking multiple wearable devices, measurement sensors, and BLE beacons, including evaluation of functionality and operational costs.

ž In addition to categorizing the hardware issues, we proposed other approaches to identify risk factors.

Insights and Recommendations

In this project, the client's primary objective was to explore measures preventing personnel loss due to unforeseen problems. These problems, if not addressed, could lead to reduced labor productivity, compromised product quality, and ultimately a decrease in corporate value, particularly in dynamic environments like manufacturing and construction sites where constant movement poses risks of potential accidents and injuries.

In order to achieve those objectives, it is important to promote the digitization of employee safety and health management. Typical elements of digitization of safety management include the following.

Measuring Activity：At work sites, it is important to measure the amount of activity, such as heart rate and distance traveled, using wearable devices to visualize the physical burden on employees. Devices are available in wristwatch or body-worn types, and some are equipped with an alert function in the event of heat stroke or other dangerous conditions, making them effective in preventing secondary accidents due to delayed detection.

Measuring the external environment：Monitoring of the external environment with WBGT sensors and air quality meters is necessary because localized elevated temperatures and air stagnation can create hazardous conditions depending on material placement and building environment.

Know where employees are at all times：At a wide range of work sites, it is desirable to know the whereabouts of employees at all times to be able to respond quickly in the event of an emergency. For seamless positioning both indoors and outdoors, it is effective to use GPS-independent Bluetooth-enabled beacons, Wi-Fi communication terminals, and UWB-based positioning solutions.

Intrusion detection in hazardous areas：Detecting employee flow lines as well as entry into certain areas is an important safety measure. By setting up virtual curtains using cameras and sensor terminals, it is possible to cover blind spots in facilities and detect human entry into areas where hazardous materials are handled to prevent accidents from occurring.

Real-time monitoring and data accumulation：In order to analyze the tendency for accidents to occur, it is important to accumulate information on accidents that have occurred in the past to understand their causes and countermeasures in order to prevent accidents. The use of AI is also effective in extracting predictive signs from a vast amount of activity data and linking them to countermeasures, so it is important to consider the accumulation and utilization of data as part of the digitization of safety management.

JPTokyo’s Differentiators

 JP Tokyo began by analyzing the environment of the manufacturing site and conducted a deep investigation into the essential needs to prevent accidents and realize safety management. As a result, JP Tokyo was able to select a solution that focused on the risk factors to be targeted, verify the construction of the network infrastructure for constant monitoring, and evaluate the impact of the newly introduced network on the existing communication lines, all in an integrated verification process with the intention of implementation.

              By adopting such a comprehensive approach, the client was able to consider the benefits and issues while referring to actual implementation scenarios, thereby supporting the promotion of the client's digitalization.