This chapter investigates the application of artificial intelligence (AI) to the upkeep of safety equipment for employees across several industries. Wear and tear, exposure to dangerous materials, and other factors can reduce the effectiveness of protective equipment, making routine maintenance essential to ensuring that it stays functional and offers sufficient protection. It is explained how AI can be used for preventative maintenance, checks and repairs, and extending the lifespan of safety equipment. AI is capable of identifying tears or other damage in personal protective equipment (PPE), guiding repairs, and extending the lifespan of equipment. Incorporating AI into protective equipment maintenance can improve safety, save time and money, and as technology advances, it has the potential to completely change how protective equipment is maintained and managed. The chapter concludes that in order to preserve worker safety and wellbeing, enterprises should integrate AI into their strategy for maintaining protective equipment.
TopIntroduction
Any clothing or equipment intended to shield people from dangers that could lead to illness, injury, or even death is referred to as protective gear, commonly known as personal protective equipment (PPE). Helmets, gloves, goggles, respirators, body armour, and more sophisticated gear like chemical-resistant suits and firefighting gear are all examples of protective equipment. Protective equipment's main objective is to create a barrier between the user and any potential hazards, lowering the likelihood of disease or injury (Karim et al., 2020;Damalas & Koutroubas, 2016; Shushila & Talekar 2023). It cannot be emphasised how important protective equipment is as a part of occupational safety. Workers in sectors like construction, manufacturing, and mining are exposed to dangers like falls, flying objects, and dangerous chemicals. Medical practitioners in the healthcare sector need protective equipment to safeguard both themselves and their patients from infectious infections (Perlman et al., 2014;Harrod et al., 2020). To carry out their responsibilities safely, emergency responders including firefighters, police officers, and paramedics need specialised protective gear. In the military and in space exploration, where exposure to harsh environments poses serious hazards to human health, protective gear is also required. In addition to safeguarding the wearer, protective equipment lowers the possibility of workplace accidents and injuries, which can increase costs for companies in the form of lost productivity, workers' compensation claims, and legal expenses. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in the United States and the Directive on Personal Protective Equipment of the European Union are two of the most notable regulatory bodies that recognise the value of protective equipment in preventing occupational injuries and illnesses (Czarnecki et al., 2024;Kendal, 2020;Hymel et al., 2011). AI has the ability to completely transform the development, testing, upkeep, and production of protective equipment. Artificial intelligence (AI) is the emulation of human intellect in computers that are capable of carrying out tasks that traditionally call for human intelligence, such as problem-solving, learning, and judgement (Li et al., 2017). Numerous sectors, including healthcare, transportation, and finance, have already used AI. By providing real-time monitoring, predictive maintenance, and better material design, AI in the field of protective gear can enhance PPE's efficacy (Dopico et al., 2016;pan & Zhang 2021).
The ability of AI to enhance protective gear design is one of the most important advantages of this technology. Large datasets can be analysed using AI to find patterns that would be hard for humans to see (Hyysalo et al., 2022). Artificial intelligence (AI) can pinpoint locations where protective equipment may be insufficient or uncomfortable by studying data on worker posture and movement, for instance. AI may be utilised to create materials for safety gear that are more efficient. AI can assist in determining the optimum materials for particular applications by examining the chemical and physical features of various materials (García-Herrero et al., 2012;Maleki et al. 2022).