A new partnership between CSIRO and five Australian universities will harness world-leading digital technologies in the construction of safer workplaces across a range of different industries.
CSIRO has launched an $18 million game-changing project to enhance workplace safety through next-generation digital technologies. Under the newly-created Tech4HSE program, leading experts in key emergent fields such as generative and immersive AI, augmented reality, and cybersecurity come together, creating innovative solutions that will keep workers safe in dangerous environments.
Led by the CSIRO's Data61 team and the University of Queensland, the program also involves collaborations with Swinburne University, UNSW, Curtin University, and ANU. These institutions will provide research expertise and funding over the coming five years to develop new digital tools and systems to improve health, safety, and environmental outcomes in a wide range of industries.
Data61 Science Director Professor Aaron Quigley says this partnership was particularly crucial for the protection of workers: "Every day, millions of Australians go to work in potentially hazardous environments. We're out to develop sophisticated digital solutions to train, monitor and respond to hazards and emergencies so all workers can return home safely at the end of each day," he added.
This projection by the Australian Bureau of Statistics means close to half a million Australians took work-related injuries or illnesses in 2021-22, an indication that the need for better safety solutions has gone up. Of the number, Tech4HSE would be supporting prototype development suitable for trials in real job scenarios, aiming to create commercially viable products which improve safety through design.
Among the projects in the works are ones that leverage technologies to help energy sector workers prepare for and respond to crises. Using 3D generative AI along with computer vision models, the team is designing one pair of smart glasses that will digitally overlay holograms on physical settings. The tool is meant to support emergency response training and enhance decision-making during high-stress situations.
Dr. Mashhuda Glencross, Tech4HSE Science Lead at UQ, emphasized that the change it may bring: "These technologies aspire to a real difference in improving safety for workers operating in hazardous environments."
This program will also dedicate considerable university, industry, and CSIRO collaboration to maximizing the benefit of research and development to improve workplace safety across Australia.