Site trials put wearable tech through its paces

A partnership between the Travelers Companies, Gilbane and ‘Internet of Things’ (IoT) specialist Triax Technologies will to explore the potential safety benefits of wearable devices.

“Work-related injuries remain a significant source of exposure for contractors, and it’s a priority for us to find new ways to help them manage risk and keep workers out of harm’s way,” said Rick Keegan, president of construction at Travelers. “This project will help us gain valuable data-driven insight, and we look forward to working with Gilbane and Triax to identify the best uses for wearable technology to help improve outcomes and employee safety.”

Travelers will review data collected from a variety of Triax’s Spot-r IoT devices in use at a 60,000-square-foot, six-floor Gilbane construction site in New York City over 20 months. More than 130 employees will use the Spot-r Clip, a device worn on the worker’s waist belt. The Spot-r Clip is aimed at enabling faster response times to possible injuries by automatically detecting if a worker falls and by providing supervisors with real-time notification of the location and other incident details. The device also includes a feature that allows workers to easily report hazards or incidents.

On-site machinery will be fitted with the Spot-r EquipTag, which monitors equipment location and usage. In addition, the site will have Spot-r EvacTags, which allow managers to trigger high-decibel, highly visible emergency alarms to workers via a dashboard.

“Safety is one of the key statistics the construction industry measures, yet there hasn’t been an easy way to quantify safety behaviours on site, until now,” said Pete Schermerhorn, president and chief executive officer at Triax Technologies. “With real-time data and notifications, and visibility into what is actually happening on the site, wearable technology has the potential to transform safety and risk management practices in one of the most dangerous professions. It’s exciting to see how our technology is being used by innovative companies like Gilbane and Travelers to improve safety, and we look forward to seeing how their practices continue to evolve.”

Got a story? Email news@theconstructionindex.co.uk