Persuasive Technology as key to increase Working Health Condition. The Case study of a Wearable System to prevent Respiratory Disease

According to occupational disease registries and voluntary reporting schemes in various European countries, the annual incidence of respiratory diseases is estimated to be 2– 5 cases per 100 000 working individuals. Nowadays the use of personal protective equipment is the only way for workers to prevent disease but it is highly sparse. Authors suggest the development of a wearable novel system that, exploiting persuasive technologies can build an environmental sensing networks to share information about user health and work related risks. We want to elicit a conscious behaviour in the user and, consequently, improving the working health condition. The paper investigates how persuasive technologies work and could change behaviour; describes a user analysis carried out in working environment; then defines the requirements of the wearable system in order to motivate the workers to the use of the PPEs by making them aware about work-related risks and their health status.