Industrial health and safety is an important yet largely unexplored application area of ubiquitous computing. In this paper
we investigate the relationship between technology and organization in the context of a concrete industrial health and safety
system. The system is designed to reduce the number of incidents of “vibration white finger” (VWF) at construction sites and
uses wireless sensor nodes for monitoring workers’ exposure to vibrations and testing of compliance with legal health and
safety regulations. In particular we investigate the impact of this ubiquitous technology on the relationship between management
and operatives, the formulation of health and safety rules and the risk perception and risk behavior of operatives. In addition,
we contrast sensor-network inspired and smart artifact inspired compliance systems, and make the case that these technology
models have a strong influence on the linkage between technology and organization.
Keywords ubiquitous computing - sensor network - smart artifact - workplace support - occupational health and safety - safety culture - risk management - compliance architecture - organizational fit - privacy