We all have heard many of the statistics such as this one: 4,764 workers died on the job in 2020. The good news is worker deaths in America are down—on average, from about 38 worker deaths a day in 1970 to 13 a day in 2020—and worker injuries and illnesses are down from 10.9 incidents per 100 workers in 1972 to 2.7 per 100 in 2020. Still, 4,764 deaths are too many.
This is why many companies are turning to technology to create a safer construction jobsite. Consider the example of Brivo, a smart-building tech provider, which has partnered with Sanico USA, a facilities management services company in New York.
Together, the two companies will provide a security solution to make jobsites safer and more secure. The system includes access control, biometrics, advanced analytics, AI (artificial intelligence), and remote management.
Naturally, this type of technology creates a more secure construction jobsite by preventing equipment theft, which cuts down on financial losses, but it also addresses another safety and costly risk: worker training. Perhaps the right training could be the key to reducing workplace deaths in the construction industry.
In the case of Sanico USA, NY Local Law 196 requires construction safety training for workers. Failure to comply can results in fines and profit loss from incidents caused by untrained workers. Therefore, technology can help improve site security and safety—resulting in a better bottomline and heightened worker safety. The two go hand-in-hand.
With the tech in place, site safety standards can be maintained, including facility entry and ensuring staff and visitors wear the correct PPE (personal protective equipment). One of the ways it helps is providing access to construction sites during off-peak hours.
For Sanico USA, a previously installed system did not provide adequate security and required on-premise management. With the new system, the company could turn to access cameras with biometrics to manage staff going in and out, which also helped track subcontractor hours.
Sanico USA is taking it to the next level and customizing it too, adding AI-powered video analytics to automatically detect when people are not wearing a hard hat. This is more accurate than manual hard hat checks, helps comply with safety regulations, and ultimately leads to a safer jobsite for all.
While this is simply one example, many new technologies can help make the construction jobsite a little bit safer—while also often improving the bottomline. Will we continue to see the number of worker deaths drop each year, as technology helps create a greater sense of urgency and safety on the jobsite? Only time will tell, but it appears we are starting to head in the right direction.
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