Security technology increases productivity, say contractors

As Hensel Phelps looks for better ways to improve safety in everything, the global contractor is experimenting with technology solutions like Edify, an app to create a safety-focused culture in construction companies.

Every morning, Hensel Phelps employees come in and answer a seemingly simple question: Why do you need security today?

Their answers are generally thoughtful, sometimes emotional. They post pictures of their families or mention the anniversary dinner with their spouse that night.

“They’re not just charging for the sake of charging,” said Ty Nguyen, chief innovation officer of the Greeley, Colorado company. “What am I doing today? It makes them think. What is important to me? Pushing that engagement and commitment forward will go a long way.

While Hensel Phelps’ investment in security technology is “to get that individual home that day,” Nguyen, Edify does much more than that. The platform’s use of AI to analyze data collected from the field monitors and improves productivity.

“It’s symbiotic,” Nguyen said.

Increase in investment

Construction is the most dangerous industry, accounting for 6% of the total workforce in the United States, but 20% of worker deaths, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In 2020, 1,008 construction workers were fatally injured – More than any other class of workers.

While this percentage is still very high, the industry’s use of advanced technologies, including wearables, sensors, AI devices and augmented-reality platforms, is improving, experts say.

“Safety technology provides better information for decision making and drives efficiency to achieve safer projects,” said Jerry N. Shupp, director of safety and health at Hensel Phelps Corporation.

Digital and mobile devices and software are beginning to see widespread adoption, says Casey Bank, a construction risk management consultant at the insurance company Travelers, because they not only help to maintain efficiency and safety in the workplace, but also help to easily integrate with the company’s risk – management programs.

Associated Builders and Contractors vice president of construction technology and innovation, Matt Abels, noted that 47 percent of contractors spend between $1,000 and $10,000 annually.

“It’s been there before, if we really want it, we’ll find it,” Abeles said. “Now we’re seeing people put aside the technology dollar, especially for security.”

Jake Nickerson, a dispatcher at Harwich, Massachusetts-based contractor Robert B. Our Company, says the company’s investment in TennaCAM, which allows it to monitor equipment movement and driver safety, is saving time and headaches. Tena is a flight tracking platform that handles everything from heavy metal to vehicles and medium-sized equipment.

“Most of our guys do an amazing job of driving safely, within the speed limit and within our standards,” Nickerson said. “Some don’t, and because of the information Tena gives us, we’re able to curb that very quickly.”

Data management

Wearables—devices that track the location of workers in workplaces and monitor everything from personal health conditions to workplace hazards—are seeing particularly widespread adoption. In 2023 The United States Chamber of Commerce predictsA quarter of contractors use the technology.

While wearables go a long way to keeping workers safe, the sheer volume of data they can collect — and analyze using machine learning and AI — is making the biggest difference to contractors’ ROI on safety tech investments.

“We’re getting better at collecting data with 360-degree cameras, LIDAR, drones, wearables and machine sensors,” Nguyen said. “But the real value is how it manifests itself, in a very transparent way that is accessible and accurate to everyone. Items that evolve on these trends.”

Florence, Italy-based security technology company Advanced Microwave Engineering, which introduced its TAG Tracking employee tracking system in 2017, recently launched a new product that collects, processes and aggregates safety and performance data and uses AI to assess risk levels and determine better strategies. Create safer, more efficient work zones.

In addition to providing real-time environmental information that allows contractors to monitor safety and efficiency on construction sites, AME examines the relationship between the two.