3M announced a collaboration with Guardhat, an industry-leading connected safety software company. Given the importance of connectivity as a key ingredient in safety programs, 3M is transferring its Safety Inspection Management (SIM) software to Guardhat. The transition is expected to be completed in mid-2023. In addition to the SIM transition, the two companies will evaluate future opportunities to collaborate by combining 3M’s expertise in personal protection equipment with Guardhat’s leading worker-centric software platform to create connected safety opportunities that aim to keep more frontline workers safe.
SIM is a cloud- and mobile-based system that simplifies compliance, helps improve safety and eases work for EHS teams by digitally connecting people, places and PPE. Via mobile apps, RFID tags and barcodes, operations teams gain visibility into equipment status and location, training schedules and requirements, and inspection workflows to keep work moving while keeping people safe.
For example, a maintenance crew planning to work at height can quickly scan the RFID tag on their fall arrest system via the SIM app on their phone before they begin work to conduct an inspection of the equipment and ensure it is ready to use. This inspection is recorded, and the equipment can be checked out to a worker and/or location. The system will also notify the team when the next inspection is due and provides transparency for compliance needs, inventory management, workforce training needs and more.
The Guardhat IIoP (or Industrial Internet of People) Platform is an open, device-agnostic software solution built for the industrial workforce and its specific needs. That includes data privacy, management of the unstructured data produced by workers and their wearable device, processing for critical events at the human edge – to ensure that decision-making isn’t reliant on network connectivity – and considerations for the unpredictable responses people can have to events and alerts.
“3M and Guardhat share a common mission to help workers get the job done and get them safely back home,” said Ray Eby, President of 3M Personal Safety Division (PSD). “A collaboration between our organizations brings together our expertise and innovation across PPE with Guardhat’s pioneering, worker-centric software platform to better serve that joint mission. Connectivity is increasingly beneficial in safety solutions, and together we can deliver at scale.”
Saikat Dey, CEO and co-founder of Guardhat, added, “3M is synonymous with safety at worksites the world over. This collaboration allows us to dramatically expand the lives we touch. It combines best in class safety equipment and software to streamline asset management, speed remote support and emergency response and even prevent incidents before they occur.”
3M and Guardhat expect that this collaboration will accelerate development of SIM software and other Connected Safety solutions, as well as bring these solutions into the Guardhat platform – a platform built for real-time safety and collaboration with and among frontline workers that provides proactive alerts to and from frontline teams to help prevent incidents, respond to issues quickly and keep work moving.
