To what extent can technology help in making the construction sector safer?

The construction sector has always had an image of being an industry laden with risks. This image would be pretty hard to dispel. However, this is not to suggest in any way that the sector represents a gloomy outlook as far as safety is concerned. Things have been changing for the better in the past many decades. The industry has witnessed advanced safety protocols being implemented on the work sites and more resources being allocated for safety training and safe handling of equipment.

Handling heavy equipment entails many risks, such as operating earth movers’ equipment and heavy moving machinery.

There still continue to be incidents of injuries and fatalities. This is not true only for the developing nations. Even the markets where the governments have heavily regulated the industry, such as Europe and North America, fatalities continue to rise. Despite these increasing figures of fatalities, more importance is now being laid on health and safety. In fact, such measures are now more focused when it comes to modern construction businesses as such entities would like to maintain good safety records.

Keeping the interests of the businesses in mind, and the far-reaching effects of technology as witnessed during the pandemic, have convinced many that looking for technological solutions may help bring down the number of accidents. Technology, according to some, will revolutionize the ways in which construction workers operate on the work sites.

Safety measures are now evolving in the industry

As far as the construction industry is concerned, people will tend to accept a certain level of high risk as compared to the other industries. That was the case many decades ago but there has been a shift in societal attitudes as of late. Since construction work involves lots of versatile tasks, attempts at securing the work sites must involve studying the errors and finding solutions to prevent them from happening.

Technology has developed tools that provide power to crew members and managers to ensure the complete transformation of the company’s safety culture. There have been different programming features that helped boost safety in many other fields and they are now being increasingly adopted by the construction sector.

This has led to an increase in training and skills development programs, resulting in advanced inspections and auditing of heavy equipment, such as motor graders, wheel loaders, dozers, and backhoes. The availability of devices that help ensure safety measures has ushered hope that things will improve for the better.

5 technological innovations that transformed safety in the construction sector

Implementing new safety technologies can help reduce the number of accidents. These innovations have transformed how safety protocols help save lives. They have helped make work sites safer.

Wearable technology

Being one of the most recent advancements in safety technology, crew members and other workers can wear smart helmets, glasses, and vests that come with sensors and different communication devices, ensuring their vital signs are monitored and any hazardous conditions are detected.

The feature that makes this technology more efficient is that real-time information can be obtained by both the wearer and the managers. This means if unsafe conditions were to arise the tools alert the concerned to such threats, helping save lives.

Drones

With time, drone technology has transformed the construction sector. Drones are now an integral part of safety technology not only providing aerial surveys and monitoring work progress but also assessing work site safety. This helps in identifying any hazardous situation. Even areas that are hard to access can be inspected. The tool further helps abide by the safety protocols.

Tasks that involve heavy lifting are generally dangerous but drone technology helps in this regard by managing heavy equipment, such as backhoes and rough terrain cranes. Thus, overall, drone technology has helped minimize the risk of accidents and ensure safety by streamlining construction operations.

Internet of Things (IoT)

This technology has taken safety to the next level. With various devices being integrated with a central system, collaboration of security systems can be ensured, leading to improvement in safety measures.

From monitoring equipment condition to structural strength of buildings and monitoring environmental factors to offering predictive maintenance, this technology helps ensure the project continues safely. It also helps with early detection of any safety issues that may arise. It reduces downtime of equipment and also helps minimize risks of accidents.

AR and VR technologies

Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality help by simulating dangerous scenarios that may occur in real life. These technologies are being used to provide virtual safety training to workers before they are dispatched to the field to handle emergency situations.

AR and VR technologies also help workers identify any potential hazards that may exist on the worksite by providing digital information in a physical surrounding setup.

BIM technology

The short form for Building Information Modeling, the BIM helps create 3D models that can be used for construction projects. These models have the capacity to comprehensively offer a view of the entire construction operations. This paves the way for better planning while also assessing the risk in ways that would help minimize it.

The advantage of simulating the construction process in a virtual setting allows for the identification of any risks that may be present. This way those threats can be addressed before they materialize. By helping plan ahead, costly and dangerous scenarios can be avoided.

What can the construction sector expect from safety technologies?

With new technological innovations being adopted by the construction sector, there is hope that the new safety technologies will help significantly curb incidents. These technologies have a revolutionizing impact as they help the sector improve workplace safety with risk assessment, monitoring of worker safety, and streamlining project operations.

Being able to integrate new methods and tools for safety purposes means that the work on construction sites can be made more efficient while hazardous situations can be identified and addressed before they pose a risk to lives. Construction companies need to remain up-to-date with the latest technological innovations to ensure quality services and the safety of their workforce. This will help them make their projects a success.