Cross-Cutting Worker Health and Safety

This program's is critical, as workplace injuries affect employee health, quality of life, productivity, and job satisfaction, while increasing the cost of doing business. Occupational risks can be posed by poor ergonomic design of equipment, human factors such as distraction or physiological fatigue, and long-term or repetitive physical and chemical exposures. Safety outcomes are also influenced by organizational culture, work practices and procedures, often considered with the framework of human performance.

The research therefore includes a comprehensive range of topics, such as fatigue, heat stress, ergonomics, safety culture, predictive analytics, driving safety, and more, employing cutting-edge data analysis approaches to identify risks and injury precursors. Novel research helps develop guidance and controls that can be used operationally to improve workplace safety. P62 is the logical companion to EPRI's asset-based safety research as it provides the cross-cutting perspective that can be applied across all types of utility operations. Research results from this program are relevant to utilities globally, as well as to other industries and the public at large.

The research in program's program focuses on strategies, tools, and insights to reduce injuries, illnesses, and productivity losses. The work focuses on specific elements of job exposures to various hazards as well as safety management practices related to human performance, predictive analytics, and ergonomic interventions. As generation, transmission, and distribution systems evolve, P62 works to characterize new occupational risks and develop and evaluate new interventions (e.g., wearables and monitors) to assess their role in enhancing workplace safety.

In addition, the research and expertise are applied outside of the annual research portfolio through various supplemental, government, and customized projects, which, taken together, offer a comprehensive approach for addressing any asset-agnostic safety question. Examples include collaborative projects to develop ergonomically enhanced tools for manhole cover removal, to address heat stress in the utility workforce, and to provide tools for protection of workers from wildfire smoke . Custom projects, such as company-specific safety maturity assessments and ergonomic evaluations, are also conducted to assist members in managing contemporary safety risks. Program members benefit from the non-proprietary, real-world learning brought back from this breadth of work to inform the annual portfolio.