Industrial Wearables Survey 2019: Budgets, Priorities & Tech Preferences
Steve Bolton
Access this research
Access all EHSQ Corporate Leaders content with a strategic subscription or buy this single report
Need help or have a question about this report? Contact us for assistance
Executive Summary
This report helps EHS executives benchmark their budgets and technology preferences in relation to industrial wearables, relative to their global peer group. The data collected through this Verdantix survey also supports strategic decision-making and business planning among executives at EHS consulting providers and industrial wearable technology vendors. The inaugural Verdantix industrial wearables survey spanned firms across23 countries in five geographical regions and 13 industries. Interviews were conducted with 102 senior EHS decision-makers with direct responsibility for firm-wide EHS management strategies, technology selection and related initiatives. Of the 102 EHS managers interviewed, 80% belong to firms with revenues greater than $1 billion. Additionally, 19% of respondents are from firms with revenues greater than $20 billion. This survey finds strong appetites and investment trends for various wearable devices and use cases ranging from safe driving to hazardous environment monitoring. Furthermore, respondents expounded on various technical and regulatory barriers to wearables selection and implementation.
Global Survey Of EHS Decision-Makers Delivers Granular Insights
Decision-Makers Perceive Wearables’ Value For EHS Programmes
EHS Decision-Makers Are Adopting A Diverse Range Of Industrial Wearables
Firms Plan To Progressively Adopt Wearables For High-Risk Use Cases
Appetites Are High For Wearable Technologies Covering Various Use Cases
Firms Face Budget, Buy-In and Infrastructure Barriers To Uptake
Current Generation Of Wearables Suffer From Cost And Capability Barriers
Infrastructure And Technical Issues Create Barriers For Implementation Success
Firms Desire Rugged And Safe Wearables For Frontline Workers
Firms Want Wearables Geared Towards Empowering Frontline Workers
Rugged, Safe and Long-Lasting Wearable Devices Are Essential
Equal Interest In Using IoT Platforms Or Analysing Data Via Existing Software
Industrial Wearable Devices Will See Sizeable Spend Growth In 2020
Growing Spend For Lone Workers, Safe Driving And Hazardous Environments
Figure 2. Geographic Locations Of Respondents
Figure 3. Wearable Device Adoption
Figure 4. Wearable Device Use Case Adoption
Figure 5. Desired Use Cases For Wearable Devices
Figure 6. Perceived Deficiencies Of Wearable Devices
Figure 7. Barriers To Implementation Of Wearable Devices
Figure 8. Important Business Criteria When Selecting Wearable Devices
Figure 9. Important Operational Criteria When Selecting Wearable Devices
Figure 10. Preferred Method Of Wearable Device Deployment
Figure 11. Expectations Of Wearable Device Data Management Structures
Figure 12. Optimal Data Management Structure For Wearable Devices
Figure 13. 2020 Investment Plans For Wearable Device Use Cases
About the Authors
Steve Bolton
Research Director
Steve leads the Verdantix EHS research practice, based out of our New York office. He has 25 years of experience advising on sustainability, EHS, circular economy, corporate s...
Bill Pennington
VP Research
Bill is VP Research at Verdantix, where he leads analysis on the evolving and interconnected landscapes of EHS, quality, AI and enterprise risk management. His research helps ...
View ProfileOther related content
Selecting EHS software shouldn't mean defaulting to enterprise vendors that dominate the market leaderboard. Yet many mid-market organisations end up paying for complex, large-scal...
Upcoming / 30 July, 2026
The first half of 2026 has not produced a blockbuster EHS software consolidation deal on the scale of the sector's earlier private equity waves. Instead, recent acquisitions, carve...
22 July, 2026
The UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) took landmark enforcement action against an occupational health service provider in July 2026, highlighting the growing regulatory focus ...
21 July, 2026
Organizations across regulated industries are rapidly exploring generative AI use cases, from deviation investigations and CAPA drafting to document management and regulatory intel...
17 July, 2026
The rapid expansion of AI and cloud computing is driving unprecedented investment in data centre infrastructure worldwide. At the same time, growing scrutiny of these facilities is...
17 July, 2026
Heatwaves are rapidly shifting from a seasonal inconvenience to a material occupational safety risk. Recent hot spells in London and wider parts of the UK this June, alongside ...
03 July, 2026