Can Wearable Tech Protect Glaziers on Jobsites?
Construction technology wears many hardhats, improving safety and enhancing productivity for the many trades-people who step onto a jobsite. For glaziers, the various forms of technology can include everything from robotic manipulators to advanced data collection, as well as drones for improved worker welfare and monitoring. The need for safety propelled Dallas-based Rogers-O’Brien Construction to launch a pilot program using a health and safety software named Safeguard, developed by Sentinel Occupational Safety Inc. The sensors are small enough to be embedded in an armband; Rogers-O’Brien uses a Polar Verity Sense band and Garmin watches.
“Wearable sensors powered with artificial intelligence and analytics can be a powerful
combination for cost-effectively protecting individuals that are at risk,” says Sentinel CEO
Zachary Kiehl.
The Safeguard software is a preventive safety risk oversight layer on top of existing
systems, reducing workplace accidents and saving costs. It includes real-time, longitudinal and preventive monitoring of personnel operating in high-risk environments. The wearable sensors provide real-time biophysiological and environmental readings for all
workers, while artificial intelligence analyzes the signals to predict potential issues before
they happen.
Rogers-O’Brien has taken steps to protect its workers by deploying the wearable Safeguard technology to monitor personnel to prevent heat exhaustion on jobsites. Wearable
technology can record body temperature, heart rate, hydration and activity. Safeguard
monitors the safety of multiple workers simultaneously, preventing and reducing the risk of injuries and claims.
Rogers-O’Brien is the first general contractor to pilot the program. Other adopters
include Boeing, the United States Air Force Research Laboratory and the Department of
Homeland Security.
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