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BOOSTING JOBSITE HEALTH AND SAFETY

Safety risks and dangers are well known to the construction industry. Catrin Jones examines what more can be done and whether technology can play a key role in improving safety

Wearable devices, mobile apps, and AI technologies can all be used to better understand and inform workers

As construction safety continues to evolve, improved safety equipment and wearable technology are helping to drive the industry forward. Despite the improvements that have undoubtably been made – although these do vary from country to country – are newed commitment to safety and training is still vital for the industry’s future, especially due to the level of preventable injuries and deaths each year. Construction has been revealed as the fourth most dangerous sector, according to research from health and safety consultants Arinite, with a global average fatality rate of 10.24. In 2019, the US saw 5,333 deaths from construction accidents alone, the highest fatality rate of any industry. In the same year more than a fifth of all fatal accidents at work in the EU took place within the construction sector.

The device can be attached to helmets to help workers self-correct their movements

Perhaps surprisingly, Arinite’s research found that the country with the highest rate recorded was in Europe, in the Republic of Moldova at 44.7. Recognising that more needs to be done to reduce their fatality rate, Moldova will adopt the International Labour Organization’s convention – Occupational Health Services Convention, 1985 (No. 161) – in May 2022. This will address both the country’s poor oversight of occupational safety and health, as well as its failure to implement safe practices.

Robert Winsloe, managing director at Arinite, says, “It is the responsibility of all business owners, no matter what industry you work in or the size of the company, to comply with their country’s health and safety legislation.

“Working at height, moving objects as well as slips, trips and falls are all common health and safety risks. Failing to implement the required measures could put your employees’ lives at risk. Even a low-risk job can become dangerous if you do not meet basic health and safety requirements,” added Winsloe.

A clean and tidy site helps to reduce accidents

According to a new study of data from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) by the construction site storage company SiteStak, the estimated cost of ill health and injury in UK construction is between £963 million (US$1.2 million) and £1.4 million (US$1.9 million) per year.

Despite the cost of injury, it was reported that there has been a 7.85% year-on-year decrease in 2019/20 in non-fatal injuries to employees and self-employed people in construction in the UK. Huge strides have been made in safety on construction sites over the last decade, with non-fatal injuries in UK construction dropping by 45%.

Peter James, managing director of SiteStak, says, “While the number of construction-related injuries is on a slow overall decline, our study reveals that ill health in the industry is still leading to a large human and financial cost. Fatal and non-fatal injuries in construction remain stubbornly high and it is sad to see that males and older workers seem to be disproportionately affected.

“Given our findings, we would like to see more measures to ward against injury where feasible. This should include better management of construction sites and could also mean stronger adherence to health and safety procedures, greater use of safety apparel, more regular breaks, and more thorough risk assessments.”

SiteStak says that its materials management system has been specifically designed to improve the organisation of building sites. The system aims to prevent trips and falls by reducing excess materials lying on-site and the need for human movement across sites.

The US Bureau of Labour Statistics found that there were 174,100 cases of injuries in the construction sector in 2020
PHOTO: ADOBE

Working against mother nature

While the obvious slips, trips and falls need to be mitigated, some countries around the world also need to consider protecting employees from the weather.

Working outdoors year-round requires companies to protect workers from inclement or overly warm weather. Public Citizen, a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization in the US, reported that 130 million workers, including those in construction, lack protection from heat injury and illness.

The Biden administration announced at the end of last year that they would create a standard to protect workers from heat as climate change continues to be a growing threat to public health. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is implementing an enforcement initiative on heat-related hazards and have developed a National Emphasis Program on heat inspections.

Elsewhere, a vast number of migrant workers moved to Qatar to help build the numerous infrastructure projects that were necessary for the FIFA World Cup. However, harsh work conditions have posed a huge risk and caused an unquantifiable number of deaths.

Amnesty International stated in their Reality Check 2021: A Year to the World Cup report that available evidence shows that Qatar’s extreme climate could play a role in a substantial number of deaths, particularly in light of the absence of adequate mitigating measures.

As the 2022 World Cup approaches, it has been made clear that enhanced protections from heat stress-related health hazards have not been instated.

The Business and Human Rights Resource Centre has been tracking work-related abuses in Qatar since 2016. Their research found that construction workers were the most frequently affected in recorded cases, with the construction sector notably having represented two in five cases across Qatar.

What role can tech play?

Technological advancement in health and safety management appears to be growing and could be a key solution when it comes to minimising illness and injury on-site.

Soter Analytics, an occupational health and ergonomics technology company, has produced a wearable device that is driven by an AI training programme that coaches workers to self-correct their movements in real-time – preventing back and shoulder ergonomic injuries by up to 55%, says the multi-national company.

The International Labour Organisation estimates that 30% of construction workers in some countries suffer from back pain or other musculoskeletal disorders.

Soter Analytics' cloud-based solution combines video captured through a mobile application with AI-driven data analysis

Heather Chapman, chief ergonomist at Soter Analytics, says, “Construction presents many safety challenges and, in terms of ergonomics, the tasks can be ever-changing. A person can be faced with a new set of ergonomic risk factors on any given day.

“The wearables are a scalable way to coach workers into better body mechanics regardless of the task. The real-time biofeedback from the device assists with internal learning changing motor neural pathways to permanently adopt improved postures,” Chapman adds.

Tended, a deep-tech startup company that develops solutions to transform occupational safety, has also turned to behavioural science in order to develop its new platform.

Tended’s CEO and founder, Leo Scott Smith, said, “By using behavioural science techniques, our new Safety Culture solution enables companies to uncover and understand the underlying influences of unsafe actions and provides the resources to help them make safety culture improvements that drive safe behaviours.

“Ultimately, promoting a safer workplace and positive employee experience.”

Using the platform, organisations will be able to unlock insights into their safety culture, enabling them to identify areas for improvement, make sustainable changes and create a safer employee experience.

PAGABO PARTNERS TO IMPROVE MENTAL HEALTH IN CONSTRUCTION

PHOTO: PAGABO

Physical health and safety initiatives in the construction sector are vital and the industry goes to great lengths to ensure the safety of workers, but mental health is also an element of wellbeing that needs to be looked after in the workplace.

Framework provider Pagabo is pushing forward with key wellbeing initiatives – including its ongoing partnership with health tech brand Moodbeam.

Back in September, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in the UK published data for 2020, which demonstrated that for every 100,000 construction workers almost 30 took their own lives.

Glasgow Caledonian University professor, Billy Hare, conducted an analysis of rates of suicide in different sectors and found that construction workers are 3.4 times more likely to take their own life.

Charley Wainwright from Pagabo, said, “The latest ONS stats and the analysis conducted by Professor Billy Hare is striking – especially when we look at the past five years and across other industries. While the rate has remained fairly steady between 2015 and 2020 for other professions, the construction figure has gone up by five percentage points, from 25 in 100,000 in 2015, to 30 in 100,000 in 2020.

“We have been working in partnership with health tech brand Moodbeam to evaluate its unique solution across the industry and have concluded a trial.”

The trials saw more than 380 volunteers from 13 businesses across the industry using Moodbeam’s wearable wellbeing solution.

The wristband featured two buttons – a yellow one for the user to press when feeling good and a blue one for when they were feeling not so good. The wristbands allow the companies to visualise data and see how their teams and individuals were feeling, with a view to being able to identify where changes could be made, or additional support provided to improve more positive wellbeing at work.

Feedback from volunteers following the three-month trial has shown that more than half of the participants believe Moodbeam’s initiative should be introduced across the industry.

The solution works by gathering anonymous employee feedback using science-backed surveys to provide insights into the true perceptions and influences behind unsafe behaviours.

This data is then measured against a 30-point maturity matrix to provide clear insights into the perceptions and influences behind unsafe behaviours, in turn providing targeted safety recommendations and improvements.

Data management platforms are likely to grow in popularity over time as companies readdress their health and safety measures. Technological advancements give the industry plenty of choice – wearable technology offers an alternative solution to prevent physical injury and behavioral science-backed solutions dive into why incidents occur. The industry has never had more tools at its disposal to enable it to be safer for those that work in it. iC

Brian Parker, IPAF head of safety and technical

CONSTRUCTION INJURIES REVEALED IN IPAF GLOBAL SAFETY REPORT

The International Powered Access Federation (IPAF) has published its latest Global Safety Report, which analyses the main causes of serious injuries and fatalities due to using powered access equipment, covering the period 2016-2020.

Over the five-year period, the most common causes of fatal incidents were falls from platforms and electrocutions, both accounting for 23% of deaths, followed by entrapments (19%), MEWP overturns/tip-overs (12%), MEWPs being struck by another machine or vehicle (6%) or hit by a falling object(s) (5%).

The construction industry amounted to 41% of injury reports during the five years, as well as 42% of accidents occurring on a construction site.

Brian Parker, IPAF’s head of safety and technical, said, “It may be statistically interesting to compare the number of accidents occurring around the world and between industry sectors, but it is more relevant and informative to be able to take a detailed look at electrocutions and falls from the platform.

“For example, to see what machine type, configuration, location or industry sector these are occurring in, to consider what some of the underlying factors may be and to plan accordingly.”

Embracing technology could be vital for streamlined health and safety practices
PHOTO: ADOBE
This article appears in April 2022

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