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Retain Talent
ThThe lack of qualifified workers across the construction industry is well documented,4 and this issue doesn’t appear to be improving. BuildForce anticipates that another 250,000 construction workers will retire by 2029.5
When a company can’t find qualified workers, timelines change, deadlines collapse and bottom lines erode. Fortunately, wearables can help.
Construction is a physically demanding field. However, with wearables, you can hold on to the knowledge of your older crew members by hiring them as consultants. In this capacity, they can virtually train new workers, function as SMEs and even conduct remote inspections. SMEs who are placed on light duty due to injury can work limited hours and continue to add value over live video.
Workplace Safety is
a Necessary Investment
In the last 50 years, construction incidents
have fallen by nearly 75 percent,6 but there is still work to do. Training helps reduce incidents further, and wearables present an opportunity to improve training programs. However, while consumer adoption of wearables has increased dramatically, smartwatch sales ballooned from five million7 in 2014 to 141 million in 2018. Commercial adoption hasn’t been fully realized.
Still, wearables are not a silver bullet. Using them requires organization-wide buy-in and training. But the benefits are
REFERENCES
1. https://www.osha.gov/data/commonstats
clear.Asthepoolofqualififiedworkers narrows even further, using technology that improves your safety procedures and optimizes practices like training and inspections can give you a leg up in attracting and retaining talent. This ensures your site is operating as efficiently and safely as possible, which boosts productivity.
Rama Sreenivasan is the co-founder and CEO at Blitzz, a live, remote video support and inspection platform.
2. https://www.uschamber.com/assets/archived/images/cci_2018_q4_report.pdf
3. https://injuryfacts.nsc.org/work/costs/work-injury-costs/
4. https://www.nsc-tech.com/blog/construction-industry-faces-extreme-shortage-in-skilled-labor/
5. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/industry-news/property-report/article-construction- industry-fears-a-skilled-trades-shortage/
6. https://www.osha.gov/data/commonstats
7. https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2021/12/14/2351923/0/en/Wearable-Sensors-
Market-size-worth-5-208-05-Million-Globally-by-2028-at-29-3-CAGR-Verified-Market-Research.html
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