We@Work helps prevent work-related injuries with a platform that combines Big Data, wearable sensors, IoT technology and ergonomics to monitor workers and detect threats to their health. The innovation identifies potential health problems for workers and issues alerts about risks and capacity losses in the workplace.

Origins

In 2013, the proportion of employees in the EU who reported work-related health problems during the previous 12 months was 10 %, or about 40 million workers. The We@Work platform can help to prevent work-related health problems in the immediate term, while collecting health data that allows for safer, healthier workplaces in the long term.

Team

The We@Work consortium, led by Atos España S.A., includes several other EIT Health members: Quiron Prevencion, Karolinska Institute, KTH-Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan, Karolinska University Hospital, Sweden, and Stockholm County Council. Z-Health Technologies is an external partner working on the project.

The project

The We@Work platform monitors workers to identify risks of injuries or other health problems in the workplace. We@Work enables non-invasive data collection and customised analytics, providing employees with real-time information and periodic reports, which they can use to prevent work-related injuries and maintain a healthy working life. We@Work supports the worker and employer through pervasive monitoring for early warnings of health threats, prompt detection of capacity loss, accurate risk assessments at the workplace, and information that enables employees to manage their own health at work.

The platform takes advantage of new technologies, using wearables, Big Data, Internet-of-Things technology and mobile apps, to provide a key toolset that makes it possible to analyse common working scenarios and create a healthy, intelligent workplace.

We@Work can also address other challenges, such as the ageing of the workforce and the need to integrate holistic wellbeing and a health-and-safety culture into the workplace.

Impact

Immediate impact:

• Major initial beneficiaries are workers, because We@Work is designed to serve employees by allowing them to enjoy better health and to manage their own health and safety at work.
• Of course employers also benefit from the opportunity to reduce absenteeism caused by work-related health problems.

In the long run, a society with healthier workers benefits from reduced health costs and greater productivity.

Why this is an EIT Health project

With workers as the primary beneficiaries, this project has a strong focus on citizens and patients, who are supposed to be the ultimate beneficiaries of all EIT Health activities.

This project aligns with the following EIT Health Focus Areas:

• “Improving Health Outcomes in the Workplace”
• “Harnessing the Power of Real World Data”
• “Fostering Healthy Lives by Introducing Behavioural Change”

External partner

• Z-Health Tecnologies