Some employees at Rogers-O'Brien Construction are using wearable sensors to monitor key indicators like their heart rate and body temperature this summer. The SafeGuard system from Sentinel Occupational Safety is designed to look for warning signs of heat stroke or heat exhaustion and to send an alert to the employee and their supervisor if they are in danger.
"Wearable sensors powered with artificial intelligence and analytics can be a very powerful combination for cost-effectively protecting individuals that are at risk," said Sentinel Occupational Safety CEO Zachary Kiehl.
He says one of the benefits of the system is that it can alert workers to problems they may not notice due to the mental effects of heat exhaustion or heat stroke.
"If you're to that point, it's perhaps too late," he said. "Humans are fallible creatures, and the moment we expect them to properly hydrate and take appropriate breaks...things like heat stress sneak up on people."
Rogers-O'Brien Construction is the first general contractor to test the SafeGuard program.
"We're pioneering a new era of worker safety," says Todd Wynne, Chief Innovation Officer at Rogers-O'Brien. "SafeGuard technology empowers us to prevent heat-related risks and protect our employees like never before."
It has already been used in other industries where employees work outdoors or in extreme conditions.
"We've had several other general contractors reaching out within the Texas region," said Sentinel Occupational Safety CEO Zachary Kiehl. "We're not limited to the construction sector. We have some oil and gas clients. We do a lot of work with the U.S. Air Force, the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border protection and Homeland Security. We're also working with some athletic teams as well."
Kiehl hopes other industries will consider the technology as a way to maintain productivity by keeping employees safe.
"There are a lot of conversations at a corporation level about safety and productivity - when you invest in one, sometimes the other takes a hit," he said. "What we found is that doesn't have to be the case. You can have a safer organization while safeguarding your employees, which can in turn help them to be more productive in their jobs."
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