16 January 2024
Enhancing Safety Standards
The Impact of Wearable Technology in the Construction Industry
Health and safety risks within construction are numerous, and it remains the industry with the highest number of fatalities in the UK. While this finding is somewhat to be expected – working on-site is inherently more dangerous than sitting at a desk – the industry is working hard to embrace technology and make conditions safer for workers.
Real-world applications
Mixed reality technology gained popularity during the pandemic, allowing clients to view progress remotely, minimising delays and costs. Now, its potential for enhancing health and safety measures is gaining traction across the construction industry.
Wearable technology can help address many headline risks associated with working on-site: high accident rates, overworking, and labour shortages caused by accidents and illness. Its utilisation can potentially reduce claims and their severity, which could result in lower insurance premiums.
The global wearable technology market was worth an estimated USD138 billion in 2022 and is expected to surpass USD491.74bn by 2032, underlining the growing significance of this technology in various industries, including construction.
There are already some promising examples of wearable technology making tangible improvements to safety. One standout case is smart helmets. These are standard hard hats connected to the Internet of Things and the business’ control centre. They can monitor heart rate, location, oxygen saturation levels, skin temperature and even fatigue.
The helmets include sensors that can detect environmental dangers, which can help to avoid the three most common causes of fatal injuries: falls from height, being struck by a moving object and being struck by a moving vehicle.
Real-world application of these smart helmets is already helping to reduce the number of accidents on construction sites. SiteZone is a proximity warning system that produces a detection zone around a vehicle, machine or restricted area. When someone wearing the SiteZone transponder tag, which can be fitted onto any helmet, breaches a detection zone, the machine operator is alerted to their presence immediately.
Waste and resource management company FCC Environment has been working with SiteZone for over 10 years. The initial trial report included several incidents of staff getting too close to machinery. Today, SiteZone is installed on 217 machines across 74 sites with 2843 tags in use. FCC Environment regularly examines the data SiteZone provides to improve safety and, in the last decade, the business has not experienced any accidents. Such strong dedication to risk management can lead to reduced insurance-related concerns.
Real-world applications of wearable technology are already helping to reduce the number of accidents on construction sites
Telematics - what can Construction learn from the Motor industry?
Telematics in the motor industry is a compelling example of how technology can prompt a significant shift in insurer perception. The use of black boxes in vehicles has changed how insurers assess risk and determine premiums via collecting data on driving behaviours, such as speed, acceleration, braking and cornering.
Some of the key ways this technology has influenced this industry include:
Safe Driving Discounts: Insurance companies offer discounts on premiums for companies who demonstrate safe driving habits. This incentivises drivers to adopt safer driving practices and reduces the overall risk for insurers.
Safe Driving Culture: Encourages a culture of safer driving among fleet drivers by monitoring driving behaviour. This, in turn, leads to safer roads and reduces the likelihood of accidents.
Accident Analysis: In the event of an accident, the data collected through telematics can provide valuable insights into the cause and nature of the incident. This can help insurers and fleet managers understand the circumstances surrounding the accident and make more accurate assessments.
Risk Assessments: Telematics data gives companies and insurers a more accurate understanding of the risk associated with each driver. By analysing driving behaviour, efficiency, and other characteristics, companies can offer additional support and training, whilst insurers can estimate the likelihood of accidents and adjust premiums accordingly.
Data-Driven Decision-Making: Telematics provides a wealth of data that fleet managers can use to optimise operations. The data collected can help identify areas for improvement, such as inefficient driving practices or excessive fuel consumption. By analysing this data, fleet managers can make informed decisions to improve efficiency and save money.
Overall, telematics has encouraged data-driven decision-making, safer driving practices, and more personalised insurance premiums. It has benefited fleet drivers, managers, and insurers by promoting safer roads, improving efficiency and reducing risk.
The power of wearable technology
There are numerous other examples of wearable tech helping to minimise the accidents seen on construction sites.
Exoskeletons
Exoskeletons are lightweight machines that construction workers wear to support them in undertaking strenuous and repetitive tasks. They can increase productivity, enabling workers to carry out tasks without placing excessive strain on their bodies.
Musculoskeletal disorders are a common risk for contractors due to heavy lifting, overhead work, and repetitive tasks. As many as 44 million workers in the European Union are affected by workplace-related musculoskeletal disorders, at a total annual cost of over EUR240 billion to the European economy.
Exoskeletons can be designed to support different movements; for example, an exoskeleton can be worn across the back, shoulders and arms to support work above head height, or it could take the shape of gloves to increase strength and dexterity when using tools and lifting objects.
AR Eyewear
Augmented reality (AR) tech allows architects to envisage their projects in natural spaces, allowing them to identify problems before they arise. This reduces costly mistakes and delays and minimises worker time on site, lowering risk.
The eyewear can warn of potential dangers and display prompts and guides to prevent accidents. They can be used to train workers and help instruct new workers, reducing the need for in-person training. They also allow hands-free access to project documents and can streamline inspection and quality control. The eyewear may soon be able to detect hazardous materials.
Smart Boots
These boots can be fitted with GPS and LED lights to improve safety when working at night as well as sensors that monitor workers’ physical condition and environmental factors, such as high temperatures and poor air quality.
The Smart Boots also feature a pressure detector that can flag falls and minor shocks. Location sensing can help monitor lone workers and limit time in unsafe areas.
Construction industry insurance
Wearable technology is increasingly establishing its significance in the construction industry by effectively mitigating risks on construction sites.
Consequently, this could have a positive impact on insurance coverage and premiums as the reduced risks take effect on losses across the industry. This could be achieved via targeted health and safety initiatives, risk management and claims defensibility exercises on an individual contractor basis, and via insurers and their books of business and data sets.
As wearable tech becomes more mainstream, it is important to use the data collated from new technology across the industry, rather than siloing it, in order to assess and tackle any trends or issues as an industry.
Gallagher is a leading broker in the construction space with a team of 100+ specialists. We advise many of the largest developers in the UK on a range of risk issues, including those relating to this article. If you are in need of assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us.
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