Safeguarding Frontline Construction Workers Using AI And Robotics

Georgina North, Head of Technology & Innovation, Laing O’Rourke

Georgina North holds extensive experience across construction, resources, and manufacturing, focusing on high-quality execution. With a background in chemical engineering, she has also worked as a flow assurance consultant in the oil and gas industry. She brings her key insights to Laing O’ Rourke, a leading engineering and construction company, where she is currently serving as the Head of Technology & Innovation. Her deep-rooted knowledge of the challenges faced by frontline construction workers and solutions to alleviate them has made her a global technology leader in the industry.

In an interview with Construction Tech Review APAC, Georgina North sheds light on some of the challenges prevailing in the construction safety arena and how AI and robotics can be game changers in achieving worker safety.

What are some of the prevalent pain points impacting the construction industry when it comes to worker safety?

Construction sites are inherently unsafe. The frontline workers put their lives at risk to perform various operations, which makes safety a top priority in the industry. There are significant risks associated with operating multiple heavy machineries at construction sites. It has become quite evident that managing and ensuring safety at construction sites can be daunting.

At Laing O’Rourke, we have developed a safety framework called Next Gear, keeping this major issue in mind. Next Gear brings a unique solution-focused approach to work, empowering people to make informed choices based on critical risks. 

We have been able to identify over ten risk factors, like working from heights and electrification, as Fatal and Severe Risks (FSRs). With Next Gear, we focus on these risks as they can have severe consequences if not managed properly.

Safety is not solely the responsibility of the safety professionals but everyone, right from leadership down to the frontline workers. It is not merely about maintaining safety with regard to the various equipment at construction sites but about developing a consistent safety culture, which itself is a big challenge in the industry.

What are some of the upcoming technologies or practices that can streamline construction safety strategies?

There are four areas I would like to touch upon. The first involves digital products. We want safety protocols, behaviors, and information to be streamlined so that it becomes easy to understand and follow them. Digital products play a big role in facilitating communication and effectively implementing methodologies, streamlining safety processes.

The next would be RealityCapture, which is a photogrammetry software that creates 3D models out of photographs and laser scans. RealityCapture provides a visual representation of sites through computer vision and laser scanning to identify safety barriers, hazards, and exclusion zones.

“Safety is not solely the responsibility of construction safety professionals but everyone, right from leadership down to the frontline workers. It is not merely about maintaining safety with regards to the various equipment at construction sites but about developing a consistent safety culture, which itself is a big challenge in the industry”

Using artificial intelligence (AI) to identify unsafe protocols is another significant inclusion. Presien, a spin-out company of Laing O’Rourke, uses an AI computer vision system to locate workers present in blind spots and provide alerts through wearables in real-time, enabling critical assessments and interventions for worker safety.

Construction companies have a wealth of safety data collected from past incidents and reports. Integrating AI, machine learning, and statistical analysis with a database consisting of safety data can provide a deeper contextual understanding of operations. This helps in making informed decisions to reduce mishaps at construction sites by identifying specific activities, locations, and times of the day when the incident rates are higher. We also focus on incorporating natural language programming (NLP) to understand unstructured data in safety reports.

It is really exciting to see how deep tech can help instill a safety culture at sites. Technologies like advanced manufacturing, robotic process automation, AI, and data analytics play a crucial role in transforming and improving safety practices. Pushing the boundaries of new possibilities in the industry, these technologies are paving the way for businesses to envision the future of construction.

I am also excited about the increasing wave of interest in modular construction that is transforming construction safety by enabling the implementation of repeatable safety protocols.

What advice would you offer to an upcoming leader in the construction safety field?

There are three principles that a leader in the construction safety field must abide by – people, process, and products. As a leader, your first and foremost responsibility is safeguarding the workers. To ensure safety, it is important to incorporate technology in day-today operations. Leaders should be willing to assess and engage with technology providers to see what fits their construction site workflows and provide proper feedback.

Is there anything you wish to add or highlight regarding construction safety?

We at Laing O’ Rourke are working with a global leader in field robotics in Australia to take the next step in construction safety. Robotics, and automation are following the same route in construction as we have seen in other areas like mining. Such measures will only improve construction safety in the future.