It’s no secret that one of the challenges facing Construction Site Managers is ensuring workers and visitors stay safe on site. While the construction industry has been slow in many respects to adapt to a more digital way of working, change is underway especially for high risk teams.
AI (artificial intelligence) has transformed the way we work in many sectors and the construction industry is no exception. AI in construction is a relatively new concept but one that is revolutionising health and safety on sites, especially for high risk teams.
AI can be utilised in construction to ensure a safer site before work even commences. In the planning stages of a project, artificial intelligence could be used to help stronger and faster identification of potential hazards. This would in turn help site managers reduce time further down the line and more importantly, mitigate risks to site workers.
Much criticism is often levied at computer generated systems that have the potential to reduce the human workforce. Those in the construction industry will undoubtedly have had concerns about news of skills shortages. AI can help to address this by evaluating site productivity and distribution of site resources. At Construction Helpline, we believe it is the combination of better health and safety training courses for site workers and the use of digital advances such as AI that can help to transform safety and productivity.
Just some of the safety risks on construction sites include falls, electrocution and being hit by objects. High risk teams working at height and doing manual handling can result in injuries or even in more serious cases death. How can this be prevented?
Managing high risk teams puts a lot of pressure on site managers, especially if the teams involve sub-contractors working across different sites. AI in construction can help assess which areas are higher risk, helping to prioritise workloads. Digitising site workloads can also help Site Managers with organisation. They can then better assess when further training is required or when safety briefings should be held.
It’s no secret better and more regular training can help to make workers safer. Courses tailored towards specific site roles help to ensure everyone working at every level understands their responsibilities and what to do should an incident occur. Refresher courses and revision materials are imperative too, as is consistent management. In an age when Construction Site Managers are time poor and under pressure to keep costs down, a combination of investment in training and utilising AI tools can help to save costs and more importantly incidents further down the line.
AI can also be useful within the construction sector to help with budget control, productivity and more insightful building designs. While AI in the sector may be in its infancy yet, at Construction Helpline we are looking forward to seeing how it will continue to shape the construction industry of our future.
Umer Mansoor, CEO of Construction Helpline and champion of digitisation in the construction industry says “While there’s still very much a need for more human resource in the construction sector, there’s no doubt that AI and digitisation in the sector can help enhance the construction industry. The benefits aren’t just for Construction Site Managers – workers should reap the rewards of welcoming AI as they find sites become safer and their jobs become more manageable.
“We are continually reviewing our training courses, updating them to complement new technological developments. Great health and safety training like the courses we offer at Construction Helpline is irreplaceable but when paired with AI demonstrates real progress for site health and safety.”
Find out more about our construction courses at Construction Helpline on our health and safety courses page.
