On the evening of December 10th, a tornado tore through an Illinois warehouse that collapsed part of the building and 6 workers were killed and injuring over 40 (via NYT.) Many employees have spoken out about the fact that Amazon prohibits the use of mobile phones on the warehouse floors, except in the case of emergencies. The workers argue that their smartphone would have allowed them access to emergency weather warnings.
While OSHA has opened an investigation into the matter of the building collapse, to see if there were any clear safety violations, people should consider and discuss the concept of banning phones on the shop floor. Two reasons why phone use could be an issue for industrial companies:
- Phone use can distract employees from doing their jobs, thus hurting their overall productivity
- Calls, notifications, and alerts can disturb employees during the operation of machinery and equipment could cause accidents, injuries and even deaths
Everyone should also take time to consider how mobile devices have clearly and thoroughly penetrated our lives. Beyond calls, people are using their phones for maps, games, social connections, and... well, you know. You have one and use it daily. But another example of how smartphones have changed our lives would be the pandemic — many people turned to this powerful technology to stay connected with family, to talk to their medical providers, and to do their jobs.
Are smartphones an annoying addiction that distracts people or the natural evolution of the tools necessary for survival?
When used properly at work, even in industrial settings, phones provide flexibility and mobility to employees. And just as smartphone technology has improved dramatically over the past ten years, so has other technology that can limit when or how a phone is used — in other words, there are ways for employers to turn off certain apps or the entire phone for when a worker is driving, for instance. So, there's really no excuse not to allow employees to not have access.
Here at Healthy Roster, we help keep workers safe by eliminating injuries, keeping minor injuries from getting worse, and visually assessing injuries onsite with the utilization of a mobile app. But we know some jobsites don't allow mobile phone access so we also provide a walk-up iPad kiosk... But we do understand the value of phones.
It lets us be everywhere, all the time for every worker on your floor, even during 3rd shifts and at remote locations. So, we are fully behind giving your employees access to necessary technology for that flexibility alone. By giving them access to healthcare providers 24/7, we are actually keeping them productive and preventing send-outs to a clinic or even the ER for their injuries.
But the workers also have an expectation of having their phones available while on the job. A recent survey showed that 6 of 10 employees felt they should have access to phones at work. While an easy survey to dismiss, the effects of the recent high job turnover (ie, the "Great Resignation") and the difficulty of finding qualified employees, the worker morale and job satisfaction are extremely important factors when doing any business in this country.
Most likely no one will know, even with the OSHA investigation, if the tragedy in Illinois could have been prevented or even lessened if the workers had access to their mobile phones. And no one is trying to claim this would have been the case. But it does open up the conversation (and maybe even spark that debate) about whether or not phones can or should be used in industrial settings.
Do workers at multiple facilities need to connect with one another? Are mobile map apps needed to help employees navigate? Do supervisors need to text their team? Are there alerts that could be sent out to notify staff? Can employees use photos, video or apps like FaceTime to show safety leaders unsafe equipment or working conditions that they find while working?
Or do the dangers and loss of productivity due to smartphone use — from those distractions — outweigh the need?
Let the debate begin.