5 IoT Technologies Making The Construction Industry Safer & More Efficient

As per the latest figures from the National Safety Council, more than 4,500,000 injuries take place the construction sites. This is one injury for every seven seconds. While the situation is undoubtedly devastating, it also ends up draining plenty of costs.

Sadly, while most organizations incorporate extensive rules for workplace safety, accidents still end up happening. The situation, however, is steadily changing. With the advent of the Internet of things, there have been significant improvements in the construction industry.

One of the prominent subsets of IoT is the Internet of things. It refers to the interlined ways in which facilities, construction equipment, personnel, and various processes are connected.

When implemented the right way, the Internet of things can boost profit and also increase safety. But what are the improvements it can make? That’s precisely what we will discuss in this article.

Smart Cones

Even a few years back, we were familiar with the sight of an orange cone in the roadways. But with the advent of the Internet of things, these cones are now replaced by smart cones.

What are intelligent cones? Well, these are unique cones that combine IoT technology with a range of sensors and alert mechanisms for creating a smart and scalable solution for monitoring safety.

With a superb, high-end detection and their unique early warning systems, these cones are safe, inexpensive, and more productive than a human barrier or a regular parking cone. These devices will offer critical feedback to the people around that area and inform any person who need to be alerted.

Textile Fabrics

Powered by fibers, textile fabrics can efficiently conduct small rounds of electric charges. But how are these fabrics useful in the first place? Well, these fabrics, most of which use silver-based fibers are used along with sensors for gathering insight on the physical condition of the worker. They are equally useful in indicating potential issues of workplace safety.

You will also find specialized fabrics that can generate an image on the materials. Some common ways to do this would be right behind your shirt or on your sleeves.

Whether it is work instruction, messages, emails, or anything else- one can quickly check them with a single glance. This will prevent the extensive use of mobile, which in turn will boost the safety of workers.

Exoskeleton Vests

Similar technology is used for making exoskeleton vests. These vests are not merely comfortable, but they also reduce the possibilities of injuries and fatigue. The electronic textiles powered by nano-sensors can effectively monitor the body condition of the wearer. So, whether it is their heart rate, body temperature, fatigue, or oxygen level- all of them can be tracked for identifying unsafe spots.

Smart Hats

Smart hats are yet another tool that can offer insights into various working conditions. Additionally, they can also detect the average temperature, toxic conditions (if any) and the sudden acceleration as you’d expect during the falls.

These hats are powered by sensors that are further connected to a communication network that will transmit data to the analytical software. This software will eventually detect unsafe conditions before it ends up becoming fatal — the result: enhanced workplace safety in construction sites.

EHSQ Programs

Internet of things in the construction industry also successfully generates more insights from your regular EHSQ programs. Most companies can team up the real-time data they receive from IoT devices like wireless sensors, wearable devices, GPS tracking units, and Big Data. All of them can be collectively used for deriving relevant insights into the ESHQ programs.

Companies can then get these insights and use them for transforming and strengthening the various safety initiatives and programs. As more data from the Internet of things comes in, more companies can keep making significant transformations to their safety programs. By the end of the day, they will be more productive and refined.

Bottom Line

Now that you know how the Internet Of Things is positively impacting the construction industry so as to improve its safety and boosting profits- it is only likely that more and more organizations will adopt these technologies. Although IoT equipment can come with a high initial cost, the recurring fees are almost zero to nil. Owing to this, it is but safe to assume the widespread use of this technology in the coming days.