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Even if you have never set foot on a construction site, you are probably already aware that they can be dangerous places. They have fast-moving pieces of equipment, some of which can be multiple stories tall and carrying massive objects; they have loud noises that can distract you; and there is always the possibility of falling objects.

 

According to OSHA, one in five worker deaths in 2016 were in construction. The leading cause was falls, followed by objects striking, electrocution, and being caught in-between. These are called the “Fatal Four,” and eliminating them would save the lives of 631 workers in America every year.

 

 

There exists today, thankfully, construction safety technology companies who are developing systems that help prevent jobsite accidents from happening.

 

Take Preco Electronics, for example. In addition to their cameras that can be attached to construction equipment in order to reduce blind spots, they produce proximity-alert sensor arrays (called Collision Avoidance Systems, or CAS’s). These alert the operator whenever they sense that the equipment they are controlling is in danger of hitting something (or someone), and work by sending out radio signals and measuring what “bounces” back.

 

Some construction equipment manufacturers, like CAT for instance, sell pieces of equipment with Collision Avoidance Systems built-in. CAS’s alert operators through a number of different means – loud beeping sounds, flashing lights on the dashboard, and/or heads-up warning messages that are projected onto the windshield. Wearable technology, such as augmented-reality goggles and pulsating bracelets, may be leveraged in the future.

 

In addition to preventing accidents, most CAS’s have onboard memory which insurance companies can utilize while investigating claims. The data they collect can help prevent worksite injuries, by providing insights into what causes incidents to happen in the first place.

 

 

With more and more CAS’s and other construction safety technology becomes more widespread, construction companies will feel secure running more equipment concurrently on their sites, since the likelihood of accidents happening will as a result decrease. Furthermore, as construction equipment becomes safer and easier to operate, the barriers to entry for construction jobs will become easier to surmount, leading to less frequent labor shortages. More machines and more workers will lead to faster construction.

 

If you are a salesperson in the construction equipment space, you should check your CRM to see if any of the products you sell has built-in CAS or similar features; and you probably should do so, so you will not miss out on bringing that up during pitches. Furthermore, if you do sell pieces of equipment with built-in CAS, you can query your CRM database to see which customers have bought them and which ones have not. Doing this will give you a better sense of which types of customers value that feature over others, as well as which ones do not, which will help make your pitches go more smoothly in the future.

 

With more Collision Avoidance Systems and other construction safety technology being designed, produced, and implemented construction sites are becoming safer year after year But that doesn’t mean you should ever walk onto one while not wearing a hardhat.