The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, OSHA establishes specific safety standards for construction sites in the United States. As part of ensuring that these standards are met, OSHA itself conducts regular inspections of the premises.
In addition, those responsible for a construction site are obliged to ensure that safety standards are consistently met throughout the term and course of project. In this day and age, there are some technologies that can be utilized on a construction project that can keep workers at a worksite safer.
Remote Worksite Monitoring Technology
One way in which the managers of a construction project are able to maintain an appropriate level of safety at a worksite is by consistent monitoring of what is occurring at a location. In the past, that tactic required construction managers to spend an inordinate amount of time conducting walkabouts around a project to stay up to speed with safety compliance issues.
This technique of monitoring safety at a construction site was highly time consuming and not nearly as effective as contractors and managers would have liked. Thanks to technological advances, construction worksite monitoring has become easier, less time consuming, and even more effective.
There is a wide array of technologies that come into play when it comes to the high-tech monitoring of a construction worksite. Key among these technologies are cameras and sensors.
Through the coordinated utilization of cameras and sensors, the management team at a construction site can keep tabs on operations. Management can more readily detect when something is on the verge of going awry when it comes to safety of a construction worksite.
Worksite Security Technological Measures
One area in which construction worksite security needs to be effective is that associated with security and access to a site. Although OSHA rules and regs govern worker safety, the powers that be overseeing a particular construction project needs to be concerned about a non-worker third party being injured at a worksite.
High-tech security measures can work to prevent the unauthorized access to a construction worksite. It is through the unauthorized access of some third parties to a construction site that result in injuries to third parties.
Each year, thousands of people unassociated with an actual construction project are injured at a worksite. In many cases, these injuries occur to people who lacked proper clearance to be at the worksite in the first instance.
Thanks to technological advances, a construction worksite can be kept appropriately secure around the clock. These technologies not only suitably lockdown a site, but they can include monitoring devices that can be monitored remotely. In many cases, even a large construction worksite can significantly reduce the need for onsite security guards.
Cost, Technology, and Construction Worksite Safety
The truth of the matter is that incorporating technologies designed to enhance the overall safety of construction worksites can be a bit more costly than some of the so-called traditional alternatives. In other words, when it comes to worksite safety, hiring a retired law enforcement officer to patrol the grounds may be cheaper than implementing a 21st century digital security system, at last as far as upfront costs are concerned.
The reality is that over time the approach of incorporating advanced technology into a worksite ends up being the cost effective alternative. Time and again, the utilization of the latest technology to achieve optimal worksite safety and security proves effective at reducing injuries and losses each and every year. In other words, a construction project is able to reduce its expenditures associated with losses and injuries thanks to the introduction of topnotch technologies into the safety and security mix.
OSHA Training and Informational Resources
OSHA has taken a proactive stance in providing employers, including in the construction industry, with training and informational resources. This includes training and informational resources connected with integrating technology into worksite safety initiatives.
Information on the availability of training and educational resources can be accessed from OSHA in a number of different ways. A primary resource for this type of in information is the agency’s website. In addition, training and informational resources can be accessed via the agency’s local and original offices. OSHA inspectors oftentimes can provide information on training and resources that are to become available via the agency.
As an aside, OSHA does maintain some information resources on technologies that are designed to enhance worksite safety. Although the agency cannot recommend any type of specific product or service recommendation, OSHA does provide information about categories of safety technology that is suitable for a construction worksite.
Jessica Kane is a writer for OSHA Campus Online, where you can complete a variety of OSHA training courses 100% online at your convenience.
