Personal Protective Equipment Management and Maintenance. An Innovative Project Conducted in a Major Italian Manufacturing Company
Roberto Mosca, Marco Mosca, Roberto Revetria, Saverio Pagano, Federico Briatore
Abstract
A major player in metal mechanic manufacture in Italy that has opted to implement Industry 4.0 standards. One of the key projects undertaken was the creation of a new vision for safety. The aim was met by a team created expressly for the company. The Team placed a high value on PPE (Personal Protective Equipment), which is equipment meant to increase the safety of the Operators while doing their responsibilities. The problem that the Team has clearly warned about, given the frequency of occurrences, is the periodic maintenance of PPE, which is required by law for each device and must be carried out according to strict guidelines to maintain their efficiency and safety certification. As a result, the Team investigated a novel methodology, the topic of this article, based on hardware and software technologies designed to monitor the legal revisions and crucial dates of each piece of PPE in use.