We live in an age of
data. Every website we visit, item we purchase and address we program
into our GPS is recorded, usually with the goal of improving our
experience. But, what if we could leverage the power of data to keep
workers safer on the job? That’s where wearables come in.
Benefits
The main benefit of
wearable sensors in construction is that they can help reduce a worker’s
risk of injury or stress. They do this by monitoring vital signs like
heart rate, skin temperature, oxygen levels and even electrical activity
on the skin. It then alerts the worker if a potentially dangerous level
was recorded. Some wearables may even sense the environment around the
worker and sound a safety alarm if a situation becomes dangerous.
Because wearables are
small—a wristband or chest band, for example—they are less intrusive.
They allow managers to evaluate workers’ health and safety in real time
without relying on people to manually report their status. This
proactive monitoring can help to prevent dangerous situations and allow
work to be performed with less risk.
Another possible benefit
is reduced insurance rates. While this is a new technology, some
insurance companies may offer discounts to organizations that adopt
wearables as a tool to keep workers safer.
Potential Challenges
Wearable sensors collect
data about a person’s physical and mental state. Therefore, privacy can
become a concern. Before implementing wearable technology, companies
must put a policy in place to determine what data will be available to
management and what will be kept private.
Workers—particularly
people who have been in the construction industry for years—may be less
receptive to adding this new technology to their work day. It’s
important to get buy-in from people at all levels of your organization
and to show them how adopting wearable sensing technology will improve
construction safety and health.
Read Safety Tip
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