The use of video technology as an enabling tool for risk assessment and management in a manufacturing context

Although video surveillance has proven to be successful as a deterrent and a forensic tool for security reasons, its suitability and effectiveness for safety reasons seem to be still under-investigated. The objective of this paper is to assess the potential benefits as well as the possible drawbacks connected to the use of video technology as a means to improve risk and safety management in manufacturing companies. On the basis of a literature review, a preliminary framework providing guidelines for the design and use of a visual recording system for the improvement of workplace safety performance has been developed by the authors. The framework has then been tested through a 6-month experimental project of implementation of a video surveillance system integrated with a safety performance measurement system in an Italian heat treatment company. The paper provides a description of the phases of the project and an analysis of the main outcomes. The results of this first implementation demonstrate that video technology can be effective in supporting the identification of the risks connected to unsafe behaviours of the workforce and critical conditions of the working environment. The recorded videos can facilitate the identification of the best risk management strategies and can also be used to improve the effectiveness of training sessions. Furthermore, the safety performance measurement system has shown an increase in the percentage of safe behaviours during the experimentation period, probably as a consequence in the short term of the deterrence effect connected to the presence of video cameras. The paper discusses also the main criticalities and issues aroused during the project and underlines the need of further investigation in order to assess the effectiveness of the system in the long term.