Wearable technology is a big craze right now for people who want to track their daily activity levels. Some insurance companies offer their life insurance policyholders a discount for wearing fitness bands, and auto insurers offer discounts for installing in-vehicle devices that track potentially risky driving habits. Insurance companies are interested in wearable technology that could be applied to workers’ comp- things like construction vests that contain sensors to track an employee’s movements. Workers’ compensation is a big expense to insurers, and maybe tracking movements of employees who work in dangerous sites will reduce accidents and lower costs.

American International Group (AIG) recently announced they are investing in Human Condition Safety, a company that makes these kinds of wearables. The technology is in the pilot stage right now. They are testing the vest in a simulated construction zone and other simulated sites to see if they can determine what kinds of movements or actions lead up to common worksite accidents like tripping and falling. The vests could detect if a worker is carrying too heavy of a weight or bends down the wrong way, or even be programmed to warn wearers of potential dangers if it detects that a worker is in the path of a construction vehicle, or an area with active electricity for example. Beyond reducing injuries AIG hopes this kind of technology can help reduce workers’ comp fraud, since the wearables will allow them to know where their workers are at all times they are wearing the vests.

Beyond vests, there is interest in developing other kinds of wearables like hard hats and wristbands that could detect concussions and fatigue, respectively.

There are concerns about the privacy of employees and whether employers will be able to access too much personal information. It could be a hard sell to convince employees, or unions, to allow this kind of technology in the workplace. Underwriters Laboratories is at least one company that is researching the legal and logistical problems that could arise from implementing this kind of technology in the workplace.