"Cool but not neccesarry" Contractors on Smart PPE.
August 29, 2024
On the worksite, construction and contract workers are exposed to a wide variety of hazards that put them at serious risk of injury and in some serious cases – death.
Within Ontario, construction was the industry sector with the highest risk of injury with critical and traumatic fatalities at concerning 36 per cent, according to the provincial government. In 2022, 183 construction workers died due to workplace-related incidents. That’s 20.2 workers killed annually for every 100,000 workers, per the Christian Labour Association of Canada (CLAC).
These staggering statistics leave contractors like Rick Speare of Speare Construction and Contracting Inc., feeling grateful that injury prevention equipment design is improving yearly. Speare, who has been in the business since 1995, has seen improvements and the use of technology implemented at the site. Personal protection equipment (PPE), offers a reliable solution to those on the job to keep safe while working in harsh conditions. Although most contractors feel satisfied with what PPE offers, leaders in workplace safety design believe more can be done.
Smart PPE is slowly being introduced into the construction and contractor trades. Already, digital devices are being marketed towards the industry: 3Motion AI, a body scanning AI app that evaluates and calculates the amount of risk on the body. Smart Caps wearable hard hats that alert users of fatigue and hotspots. Realwear AI smart-powered protective eyeglasses that offer eye protection for users and more.
Kyle Hubregtse, CEO of Missouri-based health technology company, Kenzen, a device that detects when a worker is at risk of overheating, hopes to see the use of smart PPE on the site. “I’ve been on worksites, my entire life and I had parents who grew up or worked in blue-collar jobs,” says Hubregtse. “You quickly realize that there’s not a lot in the way of means of health and safety that workers can use throughout their day.”
Speare agrees tools such as Kenzen and Smart Caps are innovative and helpful while running a construction or contracting business – however, they are not necessary, especially if it is costly. “It is a good thing, but it is something larger companies or unions would be using first,” says Speare. Although he is all for modern tech PPE he doesn’t see himself implementing it with his business at this time. Other contracting businesses however are not as open to the idea, explains Speare.
On the opposite end of the spectrum Premier Quality Renovation’s founder Peter Glaw, finds smart PPE to be unnecessary. Although Glaw does believe the technology behind smart PPE is impressive, he can’t see industry veterans using it. “Most old-school guys can’t even work a computer let alone a cellphone,” says Glaw in response to 3Motion AI and Kenzen, which require an app. Glaw also brings up the ability to monitor smart PPE usage. “It’s hard enough getting workers to comply with WSIB,” says Glaw. “One minute they’re wearing their hard hat and you turn the corner and they take it off.” In this case, Glaw suspects the smart PPE wouldn’t be a smart investment.
Hubregtse understands the hesitation that older generations of contractors and trades workers may have towards smart PPE and modern technology in general. But encourages, those who may be doubtful to consider how their health is at risk. “Technology is here to help,” says Hubregtse. The digital element of smart PPE may be what’s offputting to those who’ve worked in the industry for ages, explains Glaw.
“If they’re hot, they’ll go in the shade, they won’t need a hat that tells them.”
Unlike Glaw and Speare, Jake Anderson has been working in the industry for less than ten years. Anderson owns his renovation business, Anderson Carpentry, and is quite open to using tech tools on the job however, he understands where the older generation is coming from. “Their [concerns] are valid in a lot of ways,” says Anderson. “A lot of guys were against switching to cordless tools because they had the opinion it would be less powerful. It took some time to get there, but I would say they’re comparable now.”
Smart PPE could potentially be something that grows on the industry, like battery-powered/cordless tools and Hubregtse is aware that these things do take time. Anderson similar to Speare foresees smart PPE being introduced to bigger developers and corporations first through unions and eventually becoming mandatory over time. Currently, however, Anderson does not feel smart PPE is something he will require on his jobsite. “I’m sure computers are better at telling you which positions are dangerous, or how you’re at risk,” says Anderson. “But, I’d like to think that you can feel your own body and know the proper ways of getting things done.”
