ATEX: Why Your Workers Need Voice Activation to Operate Machinery
24/08/2021
Working on a chemical site or a refinery isn’t your typical 9-5 office job. Roles involve less time spent at a desk and more time operating machinery or dangerous equipment - ensuring processes that involve potentially dangerous chemicals don’t fall over.
As part of our 12 ATEX Pain Points series, we’ve been delving deeper into the problems chemical manufacturers face when it comes to site safety, productivity, and efficiency.
Today’s focus is on being able to operate machinery and talk at the same time, via something that has become an ever-growing global trend - voice activated communication.
Voice Activated Communications
In order for workers to operate machinery and engage in two-way communication, they need to 1. Be able to multi-task as safely as possible and 2. Have access to a smart solution that will allow workers to do two things at once.
Known as VOX (Voice Activated Communications), this smart feature allows workers to respond to a request over a radio without the need to press a button. By using a hands-free compatible headset, workers can simply use their voice to interact with another radio user – giving them more freedom and flexibility to carry out important tasks without having to stop.
The benefits of using VOX:
• Easier and safer to multi-task
• Uninterrupted two-way communication
• Keeps productivity levels high
• Allows workers to react and respond quickly to incidents
Hands-free and hands-on
Being hands-free in a hands-on job may sound like the opposite of what you’re trying to achieve, but when it comes to two-way communication it’s a pro rather than a con.
Not just from a productivity point of view, but from a safety one too. No worker should reach for their two-way radio device when they’re operating dangerous equipment as it reduces concentration levels and puts others in danger too.
This is why voice-activated solutions are so important. Especially when you see that 14 fatalities – where someone came into contact with moving machinery – were recorded by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in 2020/2021.
Having your voice heard
The rise in smart technology has seen a rise in demand for voice activated communication. You no longer have to lift a finger to play your favourite song or set a reminder to buy a pint of milk.
And such is the popularity of voice-activated software, that the market (valued at £7.75 billion in 2020) is expected to be worth £19.6 billion by 2026 – with tech giants such as Amazon, Apple and Google all investing heavily in their digital voice assistant applications.
For chemical manufacturers, investment in voice-activated devices or headsets isn’t to cater for the hip shakers or brew makers, but instead, it’s designed to provide workers with a solution that allows them stay productive and as safe as possible at work. That’s something that has a priceless market value.
Trust the process
In the European Chemical Industry’s Facts & Figures 2021, it’s documented that Europe’s share of the global chemical market dropped by half from 1999 to 2019, with the US and China dominating the production league table.
Add into the pot, a serious dip in chemical production around March 2020 time, and you start to realise that it’s a game of catch-up for the industry. The battle against economic uncertainty - to rediscover the success off decades gone by – goes on, but small improvements can be made.
Success often comes down to process and production working in harmony with each other. Key to this, are the workers who operate machinery and equipment to speed the production process along – often referred to as process operators.
In the US, more than 32,000 people are employed as a process operator, with a similar picture in the UK, where the average salary for this role is 21.6% above the national average – indicating the value employers see in its purpose.
If you arm your workers with a solution like VOX, then you may well find that they can be more productive on the job, whilst ensuring their safety at all times when operating dangerous machinery and equipment.
Book a FREE demonstration
If you would like to find out more about how VOX can help boost productivity and safety for your workers, then book a FREE demonstration of our ultra-smart TRBOCALL system today.
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