Prospective Analysis of Blockchain Applications Within the Occupational Health and Safety Management and Wearable-Related Ergonomics in Manufacturing Industry

Abstract

The Blockchain technology is becoming gradually one of the most important variables of the transformation in many industries. However, not sufficiently studied from the empirical point of view, the potential foreseen of the distributed ledgers is considerable. The objective of this research has been to trace the initial path of how Blockchain technology can be used to solve practical Health and Safety problems faced by manufacturing organizations. The present state-of-the-art analysis on industrial uses of Blockchain, although with limited scope, is also still conceptual and proposal-oriented. Some applications within the manufacturing industry ecosystems have been analyzed. The emergent trend of Industry 4.0 takes the relevant role within the development of applied grounds for the Blockchain technology spread in different areas of the manufacturing industry. In this paper, according to the performed scoping review of the potential of Blockchain for the Occupational Health and Safety Management, the applications in traceability, supply chains transparency, production events recording have been considered as able to become extrapolated or adapted to the Ergonomics Management. During the literature review, the preliminary framework of Wearable-based Ergonomics Management through the Blockchain platforms has been proposed.