Technology, Construction - 5 min read
Construction job sites can be risky places to work. Not only do employees have to contend with heights, moving and falling objects, respiratory dangers and moving vehicles, but they also have to exert their powers of concentration in the midst of all these hazards.
Recently, new technologies have focused on improving the safety of construction workers on job sites. Some of these technologies involve wearable technology and mobile devices. Others involve cutting-edge software programs that allow managers and supervisors to manage risks and know what’s going on in real time.
If you’re interested in improving site safety and OHS for your construction business, take a look at the following technologies.
The technology is now available to combine affordable mobile devices with cloud and mobile applications, and this combination can improve your site safety. With real-time site information accessible to all, your workers can detect conflicting activities as they happen and work more productively.
Here’s an example: as a worker progresses through a series of safety checks on the job site (let’s say they are working at a significant height), all of their safety checks are shared instantaneously with supervisors, co-workers and management as they’re happening. Everyone knows what’s happening and potential problems are detected before incidents occur.
Technologies like Vault Intelligence and Mango OHS allow construction businesses to better connect with their teams, reduce incidents on site and stay compliant. With risk management software, you can make all of your OHS tasks more easily, and you’ll also stay on top of everything from one easy-to-view dashboard.
You can register each jobsite’s risks and put controls in place, provide consistent guidelines for staff and contractors, generate reports instantly with real-time information, track locations and review dates of hazardous substances, keep up with every event and investigation, manage corrective actions efficiently, monitor the performance and maintenance of your equipment and drive your governance requirements. As you can see, today’s risk management software really allows you to take control of your OHS responsibilities.
Another technology that is proving valuable in improving site safety is the use of wearables for workers in hazardous settings. When workers are monitored by wearables, it’s possible to detect red flags such as heat, gas or lack of movement. If one of these red flags occurs, nearby co-workers as well as management or even emergency services can be automatically alerted.
If an accident were to occur, co-workers and management would be immediately alerted, reducing the amount of time required to get medical attention to the injured worker. A shorter time to medical attention means much better long-term outcomes.
Localisation technology allows management to immediately locate all workers potentially impacted by an incident, and it can also help to identify safety resources. As you can tell, such technology can be life-saving when a major incident happens.
Using this technology, devices could inform supervisors, management, and nearby workers as soon as an accident happens. Using guidance from the wearables and devices, people will be able to access and follow emergency procedures before emergency services even have a chance to arrive, thus improving the chances of a positive outcome.
We’re now able to collect vast amounts of data on health and safety. The information collected from tracking dangerous activities, diagnosing equipment, reporting of incidents and more can be analysed for correlations and predictions.
For instance, data from your equipment’s performance can be used to predict when it will malfunction. Instead of waiting for a dangerous malfunction, your personnel could be alerted that the equipment is headed toward a breakdown. It can then be adjusted or fixed before a real problem occurs. Not only does this kind of technology help you to avoid incidents, but it also improves productivity.
There are many new technologies that can improve your company’s site safety and OHS. Another way you can improve your productivity is by using estimating software. Try Cubit for free, and see how it can improve the quality and accuracy of your estimates today.
We understand estimating can be complex and tiring. We're here to make it much easier.
Get your 14-day free trial of Cubit the natural estimating solution.
