Commercial broker JLT Specialty USA is turning to wearable technology to cut down on claims associated with workers’ compensation in the U.S.
The company, a subsidiary of Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group, is working with insurance IoT consultant Altumai to develop ways to reduce workers’ injuries in the food and agriculture industry. Wearable devices offer the opportunity to collect data that can be used to further understand and prevent the situations that cause worker injury and illness related to their field of work, the company says.
“The end goal is to use technology and analytics to better the process of reporting this data to improve worker safety,” said Douglas Turk, chief marketing officer at JLT Group. “We want to get ahead of any trend we see in the field that can cause injury to the workers.”
Turk says the company is currently testing out wearables that include a belt device, one embedded on a safety vest and another for a worker’s wrist. These devices measure biometric data, such as hydration levels and heart rate, and assist companies in keeping their workers safe and healthy.
Turk also said that companies have a long list of rules they must comply with to meet federal laws, such as giving workers breaks at a regular interval as well as providing a shaded area with water in which the employees can take their breaks. These wearables can easily let companies see if their employees are actually taking these breaks at the designated locations by way of GPS and biometric technology.
JLT an Altumai expect to launch this initiative at some point in the next year, after finding the right vendor to manufacture the devices.
