Barriers to the Adoption of Wearable Sensors in the Workplace: A Survey of Occupational Safety and Health Professionals

Details

• Personal Author:
  Cavuoto LA ; Schall MC Jr. ; Sesek RF
• Description:
  Objective: To gather information on the (a) types of wearable sensors, particularly personal activity monitors, currently used by occupational safety and health (OSH) professionals; (b) potential benefits of using such technologies in the workplace; and (c) perceived barriers preventing the widespread adoption of wearable sensors in industry. Background: Wearable sensors are increasingly being promoted as a means to improve employee health and well-being, and there is mounting evidence supporting their use as exposure assessment and personal health tools. Despite this, many workplaces have been hesitant to adopt these technologies. Methods: An electronic survey was emailed to 28,428 registered members of the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) and 1,302 professionals certified by the Board of Certification in Professional Ergonomics (BCPE). Results: A total of 952 valid responses were returned. Over half of respondents described being in favor of using wearable sensors to track OSH-related risk factors and relevant exposure metrics at their respective workplaces. However, barriers including concerns regarding employee privacy/confidentiality of collected data, employee compliance, sensor durability, the cost/benefit ratio of using wearables, and good manufacturing practice requirements were described as challenges precluding adoption. Conclusion: The broad adoption of wearable technologies appears to depend largely on the scientific community's ability to successfully address the identified barriers. Application: Investigators may use the information provided to develop research studies that better address OSH practitioner concerns and help technology developers operationalize wearable sensors to improve employee health and well-being. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Behavior Electrical Equipment And Supplies Engineering Ergonomics Health Care Facilities Workforce And Services Manufacturing And Industrial Facilities Musculoskeletal Diseases Occupational Health Safety Surveys And Questionnaires
• Keywords:
  Attitude Author Keywords: Consumer Products Biological Monitoring Communication Systems Compliance Cost Effectiveness Costs Electronic Devices Electrophysiological Measurements Equipment Reliability Health Surveys Human Factors Engineering Industrial/Workplace Ergonomics Information Processing Manufacturing Measurement Equipment Medical Monitoring Monitoring Systems Monitors MSD Musculoskeletal Disorders Occupational Safety And Health Physical Ergonomics Professional Workers Sensors Surveillance Tools Wearable Technologies Worker Health Work Measurement

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• ISSN:
  0018-7208
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Alabama ; New York ; OSHA Region 2 ; OSHA Region 4
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  351-362
• Volume:
  60
• Issue:
  3
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20051558
• Citation:
  Hum Factors 2018 May; 60(3):351-362
• Contact Point Address:
  Mark C. Schall, Jr., PhD, Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Auburn University, 3301F Shelby Center for Engineering Technology, Auburn, AL 36849, USA
• Email:
  mark-schall@auburn.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2018
• Performing Organization:
  University of Alabama at Birmingham
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Human Factors
• End Date:
  20270630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:a2e0ea34661cd5574bf8320aea065897e0d07892c880742a005c49527d522a8a8e127453100b09b29f13cc1a275e5a69807c5fad0f49352e153899ad2181f85f
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/211454/cdc_211454_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 227.63 KB ]