Matroid selected for pilot to test whether computer vision can help improve safety when working at height

Computer vision company Matroid has been selected to pilot their technology for Service Center Metals (SCM), a leading aluminium extrusions and billet provider, to test whether their technology could recognise safety hazards within the workplace.

This comes as part of a National Safety Council (NSC) and Safetytech Accelerator programme which will help employers trial and adopt safety technology to save lives. This is being done through the NSC Work to Zero initiative.

The first pilot program focused on identifying technologies with the potential to prevent fatal incidents associated with working at height, a leading cause of workplace fatalities in the construction industry.

In March 2022 NSC and Safetytech Accelerator showcased six companies on the cutting edge of making working at height safer through technology. These technologies were in two categories, namely drones and computer vision.

Drones have the potential to perform routine surveillance tasks, which could decrease the time workers have to be at height. Computer vision software using artificial intelligence on the other hand can be used to spot dangerous situations, including those related to working at height.

Work to Zero’s director Emily Whitcomb said, “The stagnant trend in workplace fatalities is a cause for concern for many EHS professionals, and there are technologies on the market today, such as drones and computer vision software, that can reduce or even eliminate the risk to the worker.”

The companies showcased were HausBots (robotics), Upteko (drones), Prenav (computer vision), Matroid (computer vision), Newmetrix (construction analytics) and IronYun (video analytics).

As a response to the technology showcase, SCM approached NSC and Safetytech Accelerator with the intent to pilot one of these technologies in their business. The goal was to reduce the risk of working at height by using computer vision software, and it was found that the solution by Matroid Inc was the most suited to their specific requirements.

The pilot will use Matroid’s computer vision platform to detect safety hazards within the workplace by interpreting the data from camera feeds. The safety issues uncovered by the software will be used to alert the safety management of the employer so that interventions and process improvement can take place. The first model will ensure the proper functioning of air bags in the truck bay.

As a stretch goal the pilot will also attempt to identify other uses for the technology to improve operational efficiency.

Simultaneously, NSC will use a mixed-methods approach, including pre and post-test surveys and qualitative interviewing, to evaluate the effectiveness of the Matroid solution on workplace safety. The purpose of the evaluation is to explore the impact of the types of safety technologies on employee safety, productivity, and overall job performance. NSC will also use the pilot to evaluate Work to Zero’s Safety Innovation Journey toolkit at www.nsc.org/WorkToZero .

Jeff Zeller, Head of Sales at Matroid, commented on the partnership, “We are excited at the prospect of computer vision in reducing workplace accidents. Matroid’s innovative computer vision software empowered Service Center Metals to build their own computer vision models to quickly and accurately detect safety critical issues, like deflated airbags, and drastically reduce fall risk by detecting unsafe practices and triggering alerts / notifications / training when violations occur. We strongly believe that computer vision can positively impact workplace safety and improve the lives of workers everywhere in collaboration with STA and NSC.”

Evan Neale, Environmental Health and Safety Manager at SCM said, “SCM is thrilled to have the opportunity to partner with the NSC, STA, and Matroid to promote and implement emerging safety technologies in our industry. The computer vision technology that Matroid has developed will benefit our team and their safety by providing real-time data to critical operations in our plants. This partnership is only the beginning of our journey with AI, and we are grateful for this opportunity to work with such a fantastic group of organizations.”

Nadia Echchihab, Head of Innovation Programmes at Safetytech Accelerator had this to say about the pilot: “This project is a valuable opportunity to demonstrate the power of computer vision for employees’ safety working at height. The Matroid technology will be deployed within one of SCM’s production facilities in real life settings. We are excited to see what the pilot will uncover in terms of impact and benefits for both employers and employees. The idea is to build a business case for the wider adoption of this type of safety technologies.”

The pilot will run over the coming months at a SCM facility in Virginia. Watch this space for a case study after the pilot is completed.

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About the National Safety Council

The National Safety Council is America’s leading nonprofit safety advocate – and has been for over 100 years. As a mission-based organization, we work to eliminate the leading causes of preventable death and injury, focusing our efforts on the workplace, roadway and impairment. We create a culture of safety to not only keep people safer at work, but also beyond the workplace so they can live their fullest lives.

Connect with NSC: Facebook / Twitter / LinkedIn / YouTube/ Instagram

About Matroid

Matroid can monitor any live stream or search recorded video, providing real-time notifications when events of interest have been detected. Customers use Matroid in security, construction, public relations, healthcare, and more, reducing operating costs associated with manually searching through video footage, thereby increasing efficiency, safety, and regulatory compliance in an ethical manner.

Matroid is a leader in machine learning and big data with published research, textbooks, and multiple computer vision patents pending.

For more information, please visit http://www.matroid.com

Connect with Matroid: LinkedIn / Instagram

About Service Center Metals

Service Center Metals is an aluminum extrusion manufacturing plant headquartered in Prince George, Virginia. Their Compact Remelt Plant is the world’s largest horizontal log casting plant. The SCM Team is a leader safety, customer service, product quality, and operational efficiency.

Find out more at https://www.servicecentermetals.com/

About Safetytech Accelerator

Safetytech Accelerator is a non-profit established by Lloyd’s Register and the Lloyd’s Register Foundation. It is the first fully dedicated technology accelerator focused on safety and risk in industrial sectors, with a mission to make the world safer and more sustainable through wider adoption of technology.