Hartford Business Journal

10 Hartford Business Journal • October 14, 2019 • www.HartfordBusiness.com By Natalie Missakian Special to the Hartford Business Journal W hen it comes to danger in the work- place, few jobs are more treacherous than those on a construction site. Of the 4,674 private-sector work- ers who died on the job in 2017, one in five were in construction, according to Occupational Safety and Health Administration statistics. The way Dennis Mullen, New England safety director for Gilbane Building Co., describes it: "Every- thing we work with is either hard, hot, sharp or heavy." Add in the fact that much of the workday can be spent high above the ground or around high-wattage power tools and heavy machinery, and the chance of an accident is even more likely. To mitigate those risks, a grow- ing number of construction firms are experimenting with wearable technology and the internet of things to enhance their workplace safety efforts. From trackable clips that can de- tect falls and help first responders lo- cate injured workers, to hazard-and- fatigue-sensing smart helmets, to bionic exoskeletons that absorb the burden of heavy lifting, wearables are catching on in the construction field. And it's only a matter of time before some of the best technology goes mainstream, experts say. "I don't think it'll be very much time at all, because safety is so important to everyone," said Nancy Greenwald, executive director of the Construction Institute, an industry association and think tank based at the University of Hartford. Right now, larger construction firms like Gilbane — with bigger budgets and more resources — are taking the lead in piloting some of the newest technology, and the industry's eyes are on them, Greenwald said. "Once its proven to work for them, others are going to start us- ing it," she predicted. John Butts, safety liaison for the 300-member Connecticut Con- struction Industries Association, said many of his organization's members have shown interest in wearable technology but are taking a wait-and-see approach. "It's in the infancy stages and I don't think they've got enough data to go on," Butts said. "Companies are going to have to be convinced that it's going to save them money [in workers compensation and insurance costs] and that it's going to make their workplace safer." Connecticut has been on the front- lines of studying the trend thanks to a partnership between Gilbane, prop- erty-and-casualty insurer Travelers Cos. and Norwalk-based startup Triax Technologies, which specializes in cloud-connected wearables for the construction industry. Triax has developed a wearable device, called the Spot-r Clip, which attaches to a worker's waist belt and monitors their location as they move around a job site. Gilbane began piloting the tech- nology on a dormitory project at Fairfield University two years ago, and now is using it on about a dozen job sites nationwide, including a school construc- tion project in South Windsor, Mullen said. Last year, Travelers began working with Gilbane to evaluate the technology and its potential safety benefits. The company hopes to use what it learns to help construction firms reduce their risk, which can ultimately lead to lower insurance costs. "There are a lot of different [wear- able] companies out there touting their technology, and we want to be able to help our customers determine what's right for them," said Casey Banks, Travelers' senior regional risk consultant. "Even though we can't give them a specific cost-benefit analysis, we can help guide them in the right direction." The Spot-r Clip has a sensor that can detect a fall — the No. 1 cause of construction-site deaths — and send a notification to supervisors. Mean- while, a push-button alert or "panic button" lets employees flag potential hazards, like a broken guardrail or loose scaffolding, or report injuries in real time, explained Ian Oullette, Triax's vice president of product. Another feature is a high-decibel FOCUS: CONSTRUCTION On-site Connectivity Construction industry tinkers with wearable technology to improve safety, cut costs A construction worker wears Triax Technologies' Spot-r Clip, a wearable sensor device that detects worker falls and other potential hazards on a job site. Ian Oullette, Vice President of Product, Triax Technologies PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED

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