5 Technologies Making Construction Zones Safer in 2020

Construction technologies

Every construction site has safety equipment in place. Workers wear hi-viz vests and safety goggles. Steel toe boots are also required on site. Then there are bright yellow barricades and collapsible cones and diamonds to warn oncoming traffic of nearby construction. Today, however, these items aren’t enough.

No, it’s not time to ditch the hi-viz vest and collapsible cones, but it’s time to implement technology into the mix. These are five technologies that make construction zones safer for workers, managers, as well as the general public, who might be nearby to a potentially dangerous job site.

Site Sensors

Detect a carbon spillover before it occurs. Find out if a job site is too hot to maintain a particular material for an installation. Detect humidity, pressure levels, gas, oil, dust, and other dangers, before starting on a job.

And, these sensors also provide real-time alerts. In the event dust or humidity gets too high during a construction job, it’ll warn workers and inform them of another approach to complete a task.

It’s important to know a job site is safe. The sniff test doesn’t always suffice (to detect a gas leak or other threats). With site sensors, operating on cellular data, dangers are mitigated, and construction sites are far safer than they were in the past.

Wearables

Wearable technologies, including helmets with built-in GPS, goggles that transmit and provide real-time data, and other safety devices that provide real-time information, help keep workers safe while maximizing efficiency.

A construction crew manager receives real-time data, to know if their workers are doing the job right, or skipping steps to do it faster. With this information, managers can reassess work, make changes as needed, and employees are protected from potential dangers that loom around any construction site while they’re working.

Automated Machinery

Semi-automated bricklayers, 3D printers, and robots used for demolition are a few of the mechanical pieces of equipment used today. How does this improve safety? Well, a computerized bricklayer can prevent injuries from improperly laid bricks or human error due to working overtime.

A 3D printer can generate a life-sized model of a project, to determine if proportions are accurate before work begins (and help eliminate construction flaws before they occur).

The use of automation helps reduce human error and helps increase the rate at which work is completed. Fewer people and less time on the job site means fewer accidents throughout the day.

Driverless Trucks

This isn’t the first thing some people think of, but driverless trucks much help reduce injuries and accidents.

Eliminating human error alone (ie, someone hitting R instead of D) is going to help reduce collisions. But, driverless trucks also

  • Go the right speed (limits in place to avoid danger/injuries)
  • Can inspect bridges
  • They install traffic signals
  • Complete more labor-intensive job

By handling these tasks, construction workers are out of the line of danger. And, it allows workers to perform more specialized tasks, to increase efficiency on the site.

VR Simulators

Virtual reality simulators are great for increasing safety. You can do a virtual walkthrough of a completed construction site before you even begin working on it. You can encounter a potentially dangerous situation before it ever occurs on the job site.

Hands-on training and putting employees in real-life situations helps them better gauge how to react if it actually happens on the job site. In turn, your employees will know how to respond if a potentially dangerous situation does occur (and it’s highly possible working with heavy power equipment and heavy construction supplies).

Utilizing training models with VR simulators is a great way to avoid dangers, and also to help train employees in dealing with something that can occur on a job site.

Employees will know how to protect themselves, and possibly how to help a co-worker if they are in a compromising position given their VR training simulation sessions they’ve completed.

Yes, the world of technology is fast-changing. And, it’s also helping construction crews complete jobs faster, more efficiently (and cost-effectively), all while improving safety in the field.

Also Read:

5 Smart Home Gadgets to buy

Benefits of Two Way Radio Gadgets

Early adoption and integration of these safety technologies are the best approaches to ensure workers are safe, and work is done to the highest standards possible by a construction crew.

This post was last modified on January 1, 2020 3:32 PM

Yogesh Patel: Yogesh Khetani is a famous Tech Blogger who loves to be surrounded by tech gadgets. So obviously, we can see his contribution here in that field. He also contributes to Now I am Updated website.