Internet of things (IoT) has the power to transform industries, automate processes and improve the company’s ROI (Ghosh et al, 2020; Rybakov, 2021). While some industries such as health, manufacturing, and agriculture are already greatly benefiting from IoT, others are only starting to adopt the new technologies. One such industry is the construction industry, IoT having the potential to transform the industry by improving on-site safety, enhancing productivity, and operational efficiency, helping companies operating in this fast-changing industry a solution for its fluctuating requirements. Moreover, the availability of IoT in construction might help improve work safety conditions in developing countries by reducing costs and encouraging stricter regulations and their enforcement.
A first possible application of IoT is wearables for the workers (Ghosh et al, 2020; Mahmud et al, 2018). This will help in notifying workers when they are in high-risk zones and offer them real-time help for finishing tasks efficiently and safely, reducing both time related costs and risks of death and serious injuries. Moreover, it will provide information about the workers current location, which can save the lives of injured workers. On the same note, they can monitor the workers’ physical condition and detect exhaustion, reducing the risks of accidents. However, some ethical issues can also arise, as the technology will allow employers to monitor how much time workers spend resting due to exhaustion and determine that some workers are too inefficient.
Moreover, IoT will help reduce project management costs, machinery-related costs, and other expenses by providing better and cheaper site monitoring (Mahmud et al, 2018; Paul et al, 2020; Rybakov, 2021). The advanced monitoring capabilities enabled by IoT will help get real-time insights from machinery, equipment, and workers. Site managers will be able to efficiently allocate materials and resources, including fuel which represents a big fraction of the costs incurred in the industry. Moreover, it will allow for better machinery and equipment maintenance reducing the need to buy new ones, as managers will be notified in time for repairs when needed.
Another application concerns remote control of machinery. This will help in operating with greater accuracy, reducing the risks of mistakes, and lowering the amount of personnel needed (Ghosh et al, 2020; Paul et al, 2020). As mistakes in construction can be very costly, IoT will help reduce such costs, and lead to superior budget optimization, as it lowers uncertainty, offering a competitive edge.
Lastly, IoT can be used to conduct real-time simulations of the construction process. By creating a digital copy of the construction, simulations can be run efficiently and adjust for deviations from the original plan, such as changes in materials used.
All in all, in the near future IoT will likely become widely used in the construction industry, transforming multiple aspects of it due to its great benefits for both work force safety and budget optimization.
References
Ghosh, A., Edwards, D. J., & Hosseini, M. R. (2020). Patterns and trends in Internet of Things (IoT) research: future applications in the construction industry. Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management.
Mahmud, S. H., Assan, L., & Islam, R. (2018). Potentials of internet of things (IoT) in Malaysian construction industry. Annals of Emerging Technologies in Computing (AETiC), Print ISSN, 2516-0281.
Paul, S., Naik, B., & Bagal, D. K. (2020, November). Enabling technologies of IoT and challenges in various field of construction industry in the 5G era: A review. In IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering (Vol. 970, No. 1, p. 012019). IOP Publishing.
Rybakov, A. (2021). Applying IoT in the construction industry: top-7 use cases. Retrieved 07/10/2022 from https://www.agilevision.io/blog/applying-iot-in-the-construction-industry-top-7-use-cases
Very informative blog! I have never considered the application of IoT in construction, which is a traditional sector. All the applications mentioned add a high value to this industry, especially when increasing the safety of workers. It is a novel perspective on the industry, and it is insightful to monitor how it will develop and contribute to the optimisation of the resources. Still, privacy must be evaluated since controlling workers on the job can lead to turnover and frustration.
Hi!
Interesting topic about IoT and the application of wearable devices on the construction industry! It also seems clear to me that the expected benefits of the use of wearable devices for construction-workers on safety regulation are large. However, I have my doubts about the actual implementation of these, and hence I think it’s a good thing that you mention that ethical implications of such decision. First, I think that today’s technology is not yet readily equipped to accurately measure health indicators or detect safety hazards (how will a wearable device detect flying objects). However, I do agree with the fact that based on GPS-location, the worker can be warned in advance whenever they encounter a hazardous area. In general, it seems to me that the benefits of implementing wearable devices for ‘safety’ do not outweigh the potential consequences of malicious use of data that is gathered from the devices and extracted by employers (as you mentioned in the article). Thank you for sharing the article and do you agree with me that technological improvements need to occur before the adoption of such wearables?