OSHA Defense

Ways Technology Creates a Safer Workplace Part 1

Any construction professional knows that the industry presents many health and safety risks. As contractors and business owners, it’s always important to take the right steps in order to ensure your workplace is safe. Implementing the right policies and training is a great way to start. However, as technology continues to progress and become more and more integrated into the construction sector, there are many ways we can utilize these advancements to benefit the workplace and protect our workers as well.

In this two-part article, we will feature many of the best technologies out there to utilize on construction projects and how these advancements can help ensure a safe workforce. Remember, if you need assistance challenging a citation from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), contact an OSHA defense attorney today.

Design Software

Although we typically think of design software, like building information modeling (BIM), as a great way to create a building concept, ensure productivity of the construction work, and develop the game plan for a project, the technology can also be extremely helpful in protecting workers from the potential dangers at the workplace. From transforming the design process from 2D to 3D, construction professionals can visualize the jobsite before ever stepping foot on location. This can also help management-level professionals to decide what safety measures (equipment, tools, materials) need to be utilized on the project as well.

Wearable Smart Technology

With products like Fitbit, wireless and wearable technology can be greatly beneficial to a construction project. These “activity trackers” can calculate everything from the number of steps a worker has taken to their heart rate to other important vitals that may be too invasive for a workplace (like sleep patterns for example). Because construction work heavily involves fitness and health, having this smart technology located on the wrist of every employee can monitor everything from their time at the jobsite to their daily exertion rate to their health status. It will be exciting to see where this technology goes in the next ten or twenty years.

Mobile Tracking

As smartphones continue to become more and more sophisticated, mobile tracking is one technology that can be incorporated into construction. Of course, the tracking devices can be useful for delivering and receiving equipment and materials, but it can also be critical when things go wrong. For example, if a trench collapsed in a middle of a project, the tracking technology may just save a worker’s life.

For more information on how technology can create a safer workplace, please read the second section.

If you would like to speak with an OSHA defense lawyer, please contact us today.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is for general educational information only. This information does not constitute legal advice, is not intended to constitute legal advice, nor should it be relied upon as legal advice for your specific factual pattern or situation.