The Civil Engineering Contractor March 2018 | Page 23

TECHNOLOGY
lift and carry objects or use heavy tools for longer periods without putting undue stress and
strain on the body.
Ekso Bionics and StrongArm Technologies have developed unpowered devices that are
designed to reduce fatigue and injury and maintain proper posture. These devices use
counterweights or redistribute loads to stronger muscles, thereby easing lifting
and carrying, while powered suits, developed by companies like Daewoo
and Panasonic, use sensors and motors to assist workers by reducing
back strain and allowing them to lift heavy objects. New York
company Human Condition is developing construction wearables
to eliminate injuries and fatalities caused by OSHA’s ‘fatal four
hazards’: falls, struck-by, electrocution, and caught-in/
between. In their developmental arsenal are a safety vest
and hard hat that integrate low-cost wearable computers,
sensors, GPS, and real-time locating systems (RTLS).
The hard hat would be equipped with solar chargers,
while the safety vest would have kinetic chargers to
power them. The safety vest includes an airbag collar
that would inflate should a worker fall and monitor
vital signs and repetitive motions. The hard hat has
built-in LEDs that double as a light and a safety
beacon. The data gathered from these devices
can be accessed through the cloud with a mobile
interface in real time, so site supervisors can keep
an eye on all the workers at a jobsite.
Back on site, heavy equipment manufacturers, like
Komatsu and Caterpillar, have machines capable of
operating autonomously or being remotely controlled,
obviating the need for operators entirely. In addition
to the safety aspect — no operator means no injuries
— these intelligent machines are also highly efficient,
retaining high productivity.
Site sensors that can be deployed across a construction site to
monitor things like temperature, noise levels, dust particulates,
and volatile organic compounds to help limit exposure to
workers, are in constant developmental stage as the technology
advances. Companies like SmartSite and Pillar Technologies have
developed sensors that can be mounted throughout the construction
site, immediately alerting workers when they are at risk from permissible
exposure levels being reached.
Data from the sensors is collected and can be analysed to moderate exposure
levels, keep workers safe, and stay compliant with OSHA regulations.
A growing number of industrial devices are equipped with safety indicators
that have become synonymous with various OEMs — such as equipment
producer Cat’s Link technology, which allows a company to
track its fleet of backhoes, excavators, or compactors.
While companies like Redpoint Positioning
offer a real-time location system that offers
precise GPS-like capabilities. Within a
construction situation, for example, a supervisor
can chart out the unsafe areas for workers. Should
an employee cross into those areas, the worker’s safety
vest would immediately light up.
Given that construction is one of the most dangerous
professions in the world, any and all technical advances that
With the inclusion of building information
modelling (BIM) into the helmet, the user can
increase safety within this environment, are to be lauded and
get an advanced view of various ‘as designed’
encouraged.
features prior to those features being installed.
On site
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