Page 70 - OHS, July/August 2020

CONSTRUCTION SAFETY
Harnessing IoT to Maintain Occupational Safety, Minimize Risk During COVID-19 and Beyond
Best practices being deployed in construction and industrial environments.
BY ROBERT COSTANTINI
As workers slowly but certainly return to manufacturing plants, construction sites, oil refineries and office environments in a post-COVID-19 world, there will be new requirements, processes and ways of working that were not even a consideration just a few short months ago. Yet, what does not change is the ongoing commit- ment to keeping workers safe on the job.
Thanks to Internet of Things (IoT) technology and wearable devices, businesses everywhere are finding it easier to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
IoT technology has already been making inroads in industrial markets. According to a survey conduct- ed by TechPro Research, “The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) has the potential to significantly impact
businesses.” Key industries, such as manufacturing and energy, among others, are interested in or already using IIoT devices. Based on the survey results, 82 percent of respondents have either implemented IIoT, are running a pilot project, or are considering imple- mentation. Most respondents recognize the value of using IIoT devices.1
The New PPE: IoT on the Jobsite
The use of IoT technology at worksites will only ac- celerate as COVID-19 moves the technology from a long-term business strategy at many firms, to an im- mediate business necessity. The CDC, ECDC, and other public agencies cite a minimum of six feet of social distancing as a way to minimize the spread of
64 Occupational Health & Safety | JULY/AUGUST 2020
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