A worker dies from a work-related accident or disease every 15 seconds, according to a United Nations report. Even more experience long-term impact from accidents. Enter intelligent personal protective gear, designed with the data needed to improve safety at the jobsite.
One innovative instance is Intellinium’s smart shoes, which allow workers to send and receive messages handsfree without the need for a smartphone. The alerts can be sent using the company’s patented force sensor membrane that is built into the toe of the boot.
If there is an emergency, workers can acknowledge that they received a message to evacuate by touching a toe to the sensor. What’s more, workers can quickly send a mayday alert if they are injured.
The built-in sensors detect falls or shocks and immediately notifies an employee or colleague of a worker’s location.
The company—Intellinium—was founded specifically with the purpose of improving worker safety by blending IoT (Internet of Things) technology with traditional personal protective equipment.
Smart Personal Protective Equipment
While this is one example, there has been a trend toward more intelligent personal protective gear for the construction jobsite. Technavio suggests some of the reasons for this growth included:
- Increased awareness of employee safety
- Compliance to safety
- Greater innovation
The construction industry is seeing a surge of new, connected gear for the jobsite. The end result will be greater insights into what is happening on the project, and heightened safety for the people who work there.
