Nation Waste, Inc. | IBM - Ingram Global IoT · 2019-03-13 · Solution: AI/Watson Industry:...

Solution: AI/Watson Industry: Industrial Products

NationWaste, Inc.Preventing injuries in theworkplace using real-timesafety monitoring throughwearables and the IoTIn the US alone, nearly 5,000 peopledie and around 27 million work daysare lost each year as a result of injuriesin the workplace. To keep workers safeand mitigate the cost of workplaceinjuries, Nation Waste, Inc. is launchinga new division, Nation Safety Net,which will leverage a technologysolution powered by IBM Watson IoTthat helps workers avoid occupationalhazards.

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Nation Waste, Inc. | IBM https://www.ibm.com/case-studies/nation-waste-inc

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Unlocks

thepotential toreduceworkplaceinjuries,strengtheningemployeesafety

Enables

increasedproductivityandstreamlinessafetymanagementprocesses

60%

reduction ininjury-relatedcostspredictedfor users ofthe solution

Business challengeWorkplace injuries can have devastating impacts onindividuals and their families and generate hugecosts for businesses. Could IoT technology helpNation Waste find a new way to keep employeessafe?

TransformationWorking with IBM, Nation Waste, Inc. is creatingNation Safety Net, a division powered by an IoTsolution that uses environmental sensors andwearable devices to identify potential dangers andhelp employees avoid injury.

Results

Business challenge storyAn opportunity to save lives

In many industries, the workplace can be adangerous environment. In one year alone, 5,190people died in the USA as a result of fatal workinjuries, and more than 2.8 million workers suffered


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non-fatal injuries. In more than 800,000 cases,employees had to take time away from work torecover, with an average of eight days away fromwork per case.

The facts and figures indicate the scale of theproblem and allow us to extrapolate the cost to theeconomy—but the impact of workplace injuries onthe lives of workers, their families and businessescannot be quantified. The consequences ofworkplace injury are felt in every aspect of personaland professional lives and can be permanently life-changing for the people involved.

Nation Waste, Inc., a Houston-based commercialwaste disposal company, decided to take action.Maria Rios, the company’s President and CEO,elaborates: “We are acutely aware of thepotentially adverse safety impact of dangeroussubstances, heavy machinery and hazardousobjects. Safety is always on our minds. The same istrue for our clients—especially in sectors likeconstruction or oil and gas, where working inhazardous environments is part of everyday life.

“Even with robust regulation and comprehensivetraining, accidents and injuries in the workplacestill occur, and we need to take every opportunity tomake the working environment safer. In addition tothe human cost, injuries at work have a significantoperational impact: reducing productivity,increasing insurance and litigation costs, andpotentially causing reputational damage, too.”

Maria Rios started thinking about how NationWaste Inc. could help employees stay out of harm’sway. If workers were prompted to take a break assoon as they start experiencing fatigue, heatexhaustion or dehydration, how much more


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productive might they become? If managers couldtrack incidents and near-misses in real-time, howmany broken bones could be avoided? If staff haddirect access to emergency services hardwired intotheir uniform, how many lives could be saved eachyear?

To answer these questions, Nation Waste, Inc. setout to create a solution based around wearablesensors that could help monitor workingconditions, detect accidents and near misses asthey occur, and provide immediate feedback tohelp workers stay safe. The company needed apartner with the technology and expertise totransform this revolutionary idea into a reality.

Maria Rios continues: “We knew that developing awearable solution would not only help save lives,but could also radically transform our businessmodel, providing us with the opportunity to bring afirst-of-a-kind product to the global market. Weacted fast and started to look for a partner whocould help us make the project come to life.”

Transformation storyBringing health and safety into thefuture

Fewer injuries will help our clients mitigate the litigationand insurance costs associated with workplace injury—

with potential cost savings of around 60 percent.—Maria Rios, President & CEO, Nation Waste, Inc.

“”


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To deliver its vision, Nation Waste Inc. joined forceswith IBM. The team is using the IBM IoT SaferWorkplace solution to develop the Nation SafetyNet—a wearable solution designed to help workersavoid injury.

Maria Rios explains: “The Nation Safety Net is acomprehensive hazard detection solution that canbe easily incorporated with a worker’s uniform. Thesolution contains a range of sensors, including an


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accelerometer that measures employee movementto help detect a fall or collision; and heat sensorsand heartrate monitors to help spot overheating orfatigue.

“These sensors are integrated with an algorithmthat we are currently testing to detect and identifyconditions that indicate a potential hazard, such assudden vertical movements, high temperatures,unusual heartrates, an employee working without ahard hat, or an employee in an unsafe area.”

The IBM IoT Safer Workplace solution connects theNation Safety Net sensors to the Internet of Thingsand also provides the advanced analytics andcognitive computing capabilities that enable thedevice to detect dangerous situations and notifywearers.

“When the Nation Safety Net detects a hazard, itwill alert employees via a vibration, alarm orflashing light, so they can act immediately,” addsMaria Rios. “What’s more, managers will be able tolog into a dashboard via mobile or tablet devicesand get a clear overview of the safety status of eachworker, as well as receiving immediate notificationswhen an accident or an emergency occurs—strengthening workplace safety.”

She continues: “IBM IoT Safer Workplace makes allof this possible. We deployed this solution becauseit could provide us with the cognitive analyticscapabilities that we needed to be able to transformNation Safety Net from a collection of isolatedsensors into a smart, interconnected network thatenhances employee wellbeing.

“Our alliance with IBM will help our clientstransform the way they manage workplace safety.


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IBM is a true champion of small business andentrepreneurs and is supporting us every step ofthe way in the development of Nation Safety Net.The IBM team always goes the extra mile to helpsolve any issues we encounter.”

Nation Waste, Inc. is currently preparing to pilotNation Safety Net with a sample of its clients andaims to launch the solution to the global marketwithin a year.

Results storySaving lives while saving money

IBM IoT Safer Workplace is empowering NationWaste, Inc. to develop a product that will help its

With Nation Safety Net powered by IBM IoT SaferWorkplace, our forecasts indicate that profit margins

should increase by at least 40 percent and revenues by150 percent over the next five years.

—Maria Rios, President & CEO, Nation Waste, Inc.

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clients reduce the frequency and severity ofworkplace injuries, while at the same time boostingproductivity and creating new revenue streams.

Maria Rios says: “With IBM IoT Safer Workplace,we have been able to accelerate our time to marketdramatically and get even closer to a global launchdate for Nation Safety Net—enabling us to put ourinnovative ideas into practice rapidly. We believethat Nation Safety Net will help to save many lives,so we are keen to get it online as quickly aspossible.”

As well as helping to reduce the number of cases ofworkplace injuries around the world, Nation WasteInc. anticipates that the IoT solution could helpdiminish the severity of injuries, by givingemployees the foresight to take the kind of split-second action that saves lives.

Maria Rios comments: “If we can help people avoidinjury and cultivate a culture of wellness in theworkplace, we will enable businesses around theworld and across sectors to make huge gains inproductivity—a real win-win for both employeesand businesses.”

She adds: “Fewer injuries will help our clientsmitigate the litigation and insurance costsassociated with workplace injury—with potentialcost savings of around 60 percent. We expect tostart seeing these benefits ourselves as we roll outNation Safety Net for our own employees, as well.”

By helping to revolutionize the way companies keeptheir employees safe in the workplace, NationWaste is opening up its business to new, globalrevenue streams, supporting continued growth foryears to come.


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Maria Rios concludes: “IBM technology isempowering us to take business development tothe next level and transform Nation Waste, Inc. intoa company with a true global reach. With NationSafety Net powered by IBM IoT Safer Workplace,our forecasts indicate that profit margins shouldincrease by at least 40 percent, and revenues by150 percent over the next five years. This willstrengthen our ability to keep investing in next-generation technology and help us continue todevelop new ways to improve safety in theworkplace.”

About Nation Waste, Inc.

Nation Waste Inc. is a fully certified commercialwaste disposal company specializing inconstruction, demolition, commercial, andindustrial non-hazardous waste removal, portabletoilets and recycling services. The company offers afull range of compactor, front-end load dumpsters,and large roll-off waste container solutions.

Solution components

CBDS-Connected Solutions

Enterprise Asset Management


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