Safety In Field Service Management: For Field Service Workers, Safety Still Lags

By Devin Landes, Solution Engineer

Workers in the field service management industry operate complex machinery, endure long hours away from home, and face daunting heights, making safety a top priority. However, despite efforts to improve safety, preventable accidents still occur. In 2021 alone, there were 20,000 medically-consulted injuries among utility workers, and fatalities in installation, maintenance, and repair occupations increased by 20.9 percent from the previous year. This highlights the urgent need to prioritize safety in this industry.

Digital field service management solutions play a critical role in enhancing safety through a combination of predictive and corrective maintenance capabilities. An end-to-end field service management approach is necessary to address the safety challenges faced by the energy industry and to adopt the best practices. A two-pronged approach to safety is recommended, including both preventative and corrective measures. Preventative safety focuses on avoiding or mitigating equipment failures through maintenance, while corrective safety addresses responding to faults or failures in real-time and providing workers with the right tools and resources for safety. Utilities must implement both preventative and corrective measures to maintain robust safety standards in field service management.