The Civil Engineering Contractor March 2018 | Page 28

INSIGHT
Back to basics
By Warren Beech
Can modern technology improve health and safety in the construction sector, and save lives?
T
he mining and construction
sectors, historically, have been
highly labour-intensive, with
both these sectors being large-scale
employers. Both sectors also consist of a
diverse range of employers, from small-
scale operations all the way through to
complex, multi-site operations. Both
sectors have recently had to grapple
with significant challenges, including the
international and domestic economic
downturn, significant retrenchments,
escalating costs, and health and safety
performance.
With the most significant number
of fatal and other accidents in the
mining sector being attributed to
falls of ground and machinery-related
accidents, the mining sector has
been reviewing its medium- to long-
term mining strategy, with a strong
emphasis on increased mechanisation
and ultimately, automation, which
is becoming increasingly possible by
the phenomenon referred to as the
26 - CEC March 2018
Fourth Industrial Revolution, the
Internet of things (IoT), and artificial
intelligence (AI).
The mining sector has embraced
the Fourth Industrial Revolution,
IoT, AI, and the understanding that
without technological progress, the
mining sector is unlikely to achieve its
target of zero harm and the successful
implementation of health and safety
programmes in support of this. The
technology programmes in the mining
sector are being accelerated, particularly
those in relation to technology that
avoids the exposure of employees to
adverse ground conditions, and the
interaction of persons and machinery,
to address these two aspects that
contribute, significantly, to fatal and
other accidents in the mining sector.
The question is whether similar
technology can be applied in the
construction sector to address the
significant hazards faced by construction
workers on a daily basis. To address this
question, it is important to focus on
two aspects. The first of these aspects
is whether or not the primary causes
of accidents in the construction section
are broadly similar to the mining sector,
and, if not, are these unique causes, at
the very least, capable of being addressed
by technological advances. The second
aspect is whether the construction
sector, which will remain highly labour-
intensive for the foreseeable future, can,
because of the high levels of employees
required, practically address health and
safety through technological advances.
Most fatal and other accidents
within the construction sector involve
machinery, falling from height, and
‘handling’ (fingers, hands, and other
limbs) of construction materials. As
with the mining sector, the machinery
accidents in the construction sector
relate to moving mobile machinery
and interaction with personnel, but
also include rotating machinery, lifting
equipment such as cranes, and unguarded