A Digital Worker as The Inevitable Future of Industry

Be it occupational safety, work efficiency or workers’ health monitoring – all related tasks can be handled with digital solutions. To name this stack of technologies we use a term “Digital Worker” or “Worker Digital Twin”. Here’s what we mean by that and how this approach proves effective in real life cases – including how data analytics helps prevent heat strokes.

Industry has learnt to implement technologies to optimize and automate, now it’s personnel digitization

The pandemic has remarkably shifted people’s minds towards digitization – business owners and employees alike think of digitizing their work and services. Companies implement the most effective solutions and look for additional competitive advantages.

So along with equipment digitization, building MES systems and process automation industries feel it’s time to address another question which is critical for them - staff digitization. Digital solutions are used to improve employees’ safety and efficiency more often – and we at Ctrl2GO call this type of solutions a Digital Worker.

What is a Digital Worker

By Digital Worker we mean a wide stack of solutions that digitize worker in general. One example is a digital suite that combine indoor/ outdoor positioning, IoT and video analytics technologies. Deloitte named this a Connected Worker – someone whose working life is changed by digital technologies. According to the company’s latest report, up to 31 per cent of the 3.3 million business services jobs are at high risk of automation in the next 10 to 20 years. There also is a concept of Digital Workplace. If you’re somewhat confused by all these definitions, let us explain what’s the difference.

A Connected Worker is used for any industry, including service industry – delivery, real estate agents, or cleaning. By Digital Workplace people usually mean a wide set of digital solutions aimed to improve work efficiency, so it can be used in most industries too. And by Digital Worker we address industrial plants employees specifically. Their work is different from people working in the office or providing services, so there’s a need for a special set of solutions and rules.

At Ctrl2GO we also sometimes say “a Worker’s Digital Twin”. Usually, a digital twin is a digital model of a certain physical object or a process, a prototype of real asset. Using Connected Worker technology stack and solutions, companies can collect data to create a digital twin of every employee. Thus, aside from monitoring, forecast and prompt response they get a digital copy of all employee’s activities. This data can be used for further analysis and work process optimization.

A Digital Worker is a stack of technologies, a platform or a hardware suite that helps improve occupational safety and workers’ efficiency. These solutions can use wearables, data from various information systems and machine learning algorithms.

What Digital Worker is for

Market analysis shows that usually these digital solutions solve three types of tasks: occupational safety (adherence to rules and access control), work efficiency (task completion control, location tracking) and workers’ health monitoring (prompt response in case of emergencies). It gives a business a set of tools that help assess operations efficiency and make important decisions in real time mode.

Besides, a modern Connected Worker solution must have elements of predictive analytics. This means it shouldn’t simply help respond to the incidents but use technologies (usually based on machine learning) that help prevent accidents – say, promptly inform of employees’ health conditions deterioration.

Digital Worker Benefits: Real Cases

Case 1: Heat Strokes Prevention

Objectives

Ctrl2GO client, one of the world's largest holdings in oil and gas production and refining, has over 25 000 workers on 10 construction sites in Middle East.

The company wanted to ensure its outdoor staff safety - prevent sun and heat strokes, provide prompt feedback in case of emergency

Solution

We have implemented new safety control methods with our proprietary solution SmartTeam. It allows to control staff and reduce risks by using data analytics and AI algorithms. About 1500 smart watches were distributed to construction sites. By using these devices SmartTeam allows real-time control of workers, while smart algorithms help to promptly response to employee’s health risks. The system monitors workers’ heartrate and skin temperature. SmartTeam analyzes its dynamics and if it detects signs of overheating, it notifies the work supervisor and the worker himself that it's time to rest or work in the shade.

SmartTeam is a digital system for online monitoring and analysis of operational efficiency and personnel safety. It allows for predictive analytics and helps turn data into a management tool.

Case 2: A Shopping Mall Construction Control

Objectives

One of the largest industrial conglomerates in the Middle East has started a big shopping mall construction project. The company wanted to provide site access control and staff monitoring both indoor and outdoor. It was also important to monitor workers’ physical condition.

Solution

With 500 employees working at the site, a pilot project included 25 workers. All 4 SmartTeam basic scenarios were implemented:

• Effective Worker, staff working time efficiency control
• Physical condition monitoring
• Danger Zone, Restricted area access control
• Digital Track, inspections and patrolling control.

These four scenarios covered all customer’s needs, the pilot project was successful.

Digital Worker is inevitable (and that’s fine)

For industry Digital Worker is not another innovative technology to play with, but a necessity. This type of digital suites combines advantages of other technologies and makes it easier for companies to monitor every worker’s health and safety.

Reducing compensations and fines, prompt reaction in case of emergency, fewer accidents – these are only a few benefits of using Digital Worker suites. Regardless of naming, this type of solutions is to become essential for every industrial enterprise.