The addition of technology and innovation has provided instrumental solutions to industries like insurance, transportation and health care. The construction industry is no exception. The field that creates $1.3 trillion in structures each year is also losing an average of $991K per fatal injury. This physical and financial loss is far too common when remembering that one in five worker deaths annually is in construction. Much of this could be avoided if the construction industry better-used the booming technology era to its advantage. Although reports have shown the construction field as a whole is behind on the tech front, there are leaders paving the way for a safer workspace. In fact, KC Tech Council member company SafetyCulture, with North American headquarters in Kansas City, has created iAuditor, a mobile inspection app that empowers workers of any industry to be the eyes in the field. This app is successfully collecting consistent data, standardizing operations, sending reports, identifying failed areas and solving problems in 80 countries 50,000 times a day. More specifically to construction, there are algorithms in the works that will connect safety hazards found in photos from current job sites back to accident records. In the future, this algorithm could be used to compute risk ratings for projects which will finely tune safety briefings. Drones are also being applied to the industry to replace unskilled construction workers and are overall decreasing workplace accidents.

You can make a tangible difference in construction’s tech evolution by exploring topics in safety training techniques, utility avoidance, integrating artificial intelligence and soft tissue injury avoidance at the 2020 Safety Hackathon. Hosted by Black & Veatch and Lockton, this hackathon will take place on February 28th. Attendees represent companies such as Burns & McDonnell, Ross Group, Alfred Benesch & Company, and Terracon. At this free event, you will work in teams to create a fresh approach to current challenges facing the construction industry. Teams will be composed of participants ranging from students to safety and construction experts alongside innovative startups. Solutions formed during the hackathon will give business leaders fresh and unconventional ideas to solve real problems. Don’t miss your chance to RSVP for this event.