Portsmouth International Port’s wearable tracker initiative

Portsmouth International Port is trialling wearable technologies that measure posture, strain, stress responses and movement across a range of roles. These tools are helping open conversations around fatigue, physical strain and wellbeing. As part of Mental Health in Ports Week, Umayya Rahman, PSS Health, Safety and Environment Technician, sat down with Chris Hatter, Portsmouth International Port, Head of Compliance to explore how this initiative was trialled, how it addresses challenges and the benefits it brings to the workforce.

Exercise is one of the five ways to wellbeing and a very good way of making sure that everything remains nice, fit and healthy.

Chris Hatter, Head of Compliance, Portsmouth International Port

In episode one Chris explains how the initiative was developed using innovation funding which allowed the port to gather objective data on issues such as posture, musculoskeletal strain, stress levels, and worker location for safety and emergency purposes.

Chris emphasises the strong link between physical and mental health, noting that pain, fatigue, stress, and poor posture affect workers’ overall wellbeing and performance. The port’s ageing workforce and physically demanding roles make prevention especially important, while younger staff can benefit from data‑driven guidance early in their careers. As stress affects all organisational levels, including management, Chris says that the wearable data has supported more open conversations by removing blame and providing anonymised, evidence‑based insights. Overall, the initiative is helping to create a healthier, safer working environment while protecting privacy through geo‑fencing and anonymisation. (13 minutes).

In the second part of the conversation Umayya and Chris discuss the implementation Portsmouth’s wearable‑technology initiative.

Volunteers involved in the project included pilots, duty operations managers, control‑room staff, gate teams, and machinery operators. One of the key factors to increase engagement was the need for open communication with staff and unions, demonstrations by product designers, ongoing feedback loops, and transparent explanations of how data is used and protected. Chris was clear that the aim of the project was to provide insights that improve safety, wellbeing, and work conditions with no hidden motivations. (15 minutes)

In part three Chris Hatter explains that early responses to the trial have been mixed. Some employees expressed concerns about being monitored or sharing personal data, particularly around mental and physical health, while others were more open, especially those already aware of the challenges in their roles. He explained while it’s too early to have any major evidence of whether wearable tech can change attitudes to physical health, fatigue, and wellbeing; the conversations generated by the trial have already been valuable.

Chris and Umayya go on to discuss how to make wellbeing an inclusive discussion, taking into consideration the differences in gender, age, job role, and caring responsibilities of port workers, especially given that it remains a male‑dominated industry. (12 minutes)

Part four of the discussion on wearable technology focuses on the challenges and learning outcomes from introducing wearable health technology in a port environment. Chris explains that the biggest hurdle is adapting commercial wearable solutions to the diverse and complex operations within ports, where no single setup works for every role.

He explains some of the unexpected issues which emerged, such as workers not knowing how to switch devices on or off, missing charging equipment, or accidentally using the wrong device. These small but significant practicalities highlighted the importance of clear guidance and normalising mistakes so staff feel comfortable engaging with new technology.

The conversation explores how ports can learn from pilots such as the one at Portsmouth to develop their own tech solutions to safety challenges. Chris highlights that being clear about what problem they wish to solve is vital, along with taking a holistic approach designed to enable workers to become their best selves. (14 minutes)

In the final episode Chris and Umayya discuss how new technology trials can contribute to a more open culture around health and mental wellbeing imports. Chris emphasises that simply creating opportunities to talk about health, helps workers feel valued and included, and that new technology trials can provide a focus to this dialogue.

The pair agree that technology will never be a ‘silver bullet’ for safety or mental wellbeing, but can be a solid part of any wider strategy. Looking ahead, they make predictions on where automation, robotics and AI, will play a leading role in the ports of the future.