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How One Professor Aims to Limit Worksite Injuries 08-30-18 | Education

How One Professor Aims to Limit Worksite Injuries
The Introduction of Wearable Sensors Could Save Lives

SangHyun Lee, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Michigan, is advocating for construction personnel to wear sensors in order to limit jobsite injuries and reduce costs on safety related expenses.

Lee, whose publications include such works as, "A Vision-based Motion Capture and Recognition Framework for Behavior-based Safety Management," "Understanding Construction Workforce Absenteeism in Industrial Construction" and "Vision-based Detection of Unsafe Actions of a Construction Worker: A Case Study of Ladder Climbing," spearheaded the Dynamic Project Management (DPM) group at U. of M., which aims to "understand and manage construction dynamics and human-infrastructure interface through sensing, data analytics and computer simulation."

The DPM homepage makes a specific refrence to using wearable sensors with the statement, "DPM is interested in achieving the maximum benefit from technologies like wearables, automation, and robotics for humans in construction and infrastructure."

In a paper quoted by ForConstructionPros.com regarding the practicality of wearable wrist bands, Lee states "Construction is labor intensive and has the highest number of accidents among all U.S. industries. These wearables can be used to monitor the physical and mental stress of workers so that any potential problems can be understood and, eventually, fixed."

The Occupational Health and Safety Administration relates that out of 4,693 worker fatalities in private industry occupations for 2016 991, or 21.1%, were in construction.

When asked about the relevance to landscape contractors, Lee tells landscapearchitect.com that "it would be interesting to apply wearables to landscape contractors."