How technology can help make the construction industry safer

It's no secret that the construction industry is one of the most dangerous sectors to work in worldwide. Not only is this a safety concern for employees, but it can also negatively impact employers in terms of reputation, productivity and profit should employees need time off work due to illness. Unsafe working conditions make jobsites unappealing to young workers too, which doesn’t help alleviate the industry’s high turnover rate and worker shortfall.

But by adopting technological innovations in tools and processes, businesses can minimise the risk of injury and help make the construction industry safer.

Most injuries stem from risky working conditions and can be categorised by a root cause:

• People: Human error and risky or reckless behaviour, misuse of tools or PPE, lack of knowledge or experience, not paying attention, working under the influence; misjudgment of the risk.
• Tools: Damaged or poorly maintained equipment leading to defects, missing or improper use of PPE, missing safety accessories, using improper, worn or damaged inserts.
• Organisation: Missing or improper PPE, inadequate training or certification, not paying attention to hazards, ergonomic risks such as discomfort and fatigue, inadequate planning leading to rushing.
• Environment: Poor lighting, excessive noise, distractions, poor weather conditions or extreme temperatures, hazardous substances such as dust or chemicals, working at heights or overhead.

In addition to jobsite risks, contractors can also face compliance challenges. Regulatory bodies constantly update safety standards to meet the demands of bigger and more complicated projects, new working methods, new technologies and materials, fewer skilled workers, and ever-shrinking deadlines that demand higher productivity and faster results.

But it's important to remember that compliance doesn’t always mean safety. Regulations are often written to satisfy the baseline, but a genuine commitment to health and safety often means exceeding the minimum criteria.

Unsafe jobsites are typically due to poor management, therefore it's management's responsibility to convince their employees of the importance of health and safety. The philosophy should then trickle down to employees who will look out for one another and take co-ownership of jobsite safety.

Leaders can encourage a safety culture by implementing regular injury-prevention activities such as near-miss analyses, safety inspections, worker-led committees and worker-established KPIs for measuring safety. This requires group alignment, process execution and personal accountability. For a manager, that’s all in a day’s work.

Managers can also lead by adopting a Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) strategy that takes advantage of technological innovations. Investing in products and services that help reduce jobsite risk is a proactive approach that can keep companies a few steps ahead of regulators.

Employees respond positively to genuine commitments to improve health and safety. Therefore, business leaders who take an active role in executing safety strategies, who engage employees throughout the process and who adopt effective safety innovations, can measurably reduce injuries and downtime.

Running a safer jobsite is not only better for employees, it’s better for business. Though increasing productivity might be the primary goal for most construction companies, avoiding hefty fines and sufficiently staffing projects should also be a priority when it comes to increasing profit margins.

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