Technology and Construction

Brian Roundy

English 1010

Kamri Goff

08/03/14

Technology and construction

Construction sites are getting more complex with all the added technology that is going into them. And more construction professionals are carrying iPads and tablets to keep up with this advancing technology. Although technology will improve the construction industry, it will also create possible distractions that could potentially hurt someone. Technology for a lot of people cant happen fast enough, for others safety becomes a huge concern. My feelings on this subject would be, that technology is not going away. So my solution would be to find ways to merge safety ideas and training into the construction trade.

iPads and technology are having a huge impact in the construction industry with the new iPad 2.0 Software that has simplified some of the more vigorous tasks. For instance this new software has made it so an individual can download multiple plans, and now has the ability to not only access the floor plan, but one can view it by floor or go room by room. With this software it allows a person to take notes to a specific area, as well as take a photo of the area and drag it on to the plan. Where before all you could do was take a photo and hope to remember what part of the building it came from. Your notes were made on anything from a piece of wood to cardboard. I believe that this technology is going to help the construction industry in a good way. Not only help with productivity, but it also will speed up the communication time, something that has always been an issue.

But when a dozen workers die everyday from job-related injuries, some may say; is the ease and convenience really worth the time and money saved. Not saying that iPads and tablets are responsible for these deaths, but one may think they could definitely contribute to that total, if not raise it. So until we come together and come up with a better solution, worker safety will remain controversial. Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s or (OSHA), was set up in 1970 by Congress and were charged with protecting employees from workplace dangers, to pass safety rules, implement procedures, and guidelines. Over the years OSHA has shifted their focus from implementing procedures and safety concerns to the fining companies for not practicing these procedures. And this focus shift has left OSHA and other worker safety groups struggling to keep up with this fast paced technological wave that is hitting the building industry. I believe there needs to be penalties for those that ignore procedures, but when you focus on fining people you begin to drive a wedge between you and the people you are trying to protect. My thoughts are that OSHA and the other government worker safety groups need to go back to how it was set up in the early seventies, where they worked with the building companies and together found ways to make the work place safer.

But many business groups argue that while worker safety is a key concern, many government workplace rules are ineffective and drag down productivity and profits, hurting workers and the economy rather than helping them. Something needs to be done because about “4,500 U.S. workers die in work place accidents each year, and millions more become sick or injured at work, often from handling hazardous chemicals or other materials. Medical and lost-productivity cost stemming from the injuries alone run about $250 billon annually—more than the cost of lost productivity and treatment for all cancers”, according to health economist J. Paul Leigh at the University of California, Davis. My thoughts are that these government agencies’ need to collaborate with the owners of the companies and their safety people, and reach new procedures that they can both agree on. Then these companies need to educate their employees, because really at the end of the day its about employees and management working together.

Today’s American workplace is far safer than in the 1970, when Congress created OSHA, in that year more than 14,000 workers died in job-related accidents. Work place deaths have fallen more than 65 percent since then, even though twice as many people are working now. Yet many critics think today’s work place could be even safer if enforcement were more aggressive. OSHA’s enforcement record remains a major source of concern, measures to reform the agency introduced repeatedly in Congress in recent years have never made it into law. They have been shut down by broad disagreement among lawmakers over whether OSHA regulates too much or too little, and whether its enforcement is too aggressive or to weak. Either way I think by numbers alone that OSHA’s presents has brought awareness to an industry that is well over due.

OSHA is trying to revamp its rule making process by which the agency creates health and safety standards, but this process can take from 15 months to 19 years, with an average of more than seven years, leading many to call the system broken. Even though they want to modify the system so that it takes less time to write regulations, OSHA efforts have been hampered by a 1980 Supreme Court decision that requires it to prove “significant risk” for any hazard the agency decides to regulate. Sounds like more than the program is broken to me, their needs to be a simpler way to go about regulating safety standards, especially when we our talking about the very lives of the workers building this great nation.

Technology promises to introduce efficiencies that were not previously available to the industry. This technology has enhanced the skills, productivity, and customer service of the participants. The iPad promotes anytime anywhere learning and has unique capabilities that were unparalleled prior to its introduction. It has most of the capabilities of a desktop or laptop computer, but with added perks, such as a multi touch screen and an endless variety of applications, that promote previously unseen possibilities for the construction industry. It is easy to see the possibilities that are inherent to mobile devices such as the iPad in the construction field, but as with any digital technology, it is imperative to examine how this tool can help the industry meet its goals as well as the negative impact such as worker safety regulations, are they keeping up with this emerging technology. And are companies doing enough to make sure their employees are educated so their job sites are safe for their workers.

I think you can point fingers all day, but at the end of the day everyone should be concerned about safety. I understand that technology is changing the way construction is managed. And buildings and jobsites are getting more complex, and compressed and that deadlines are being shortened. But as an owner of these companies you have an obligation to your employees, and that obligation is to do everything in your power to educate, and train your employees to be smart, and safe at all times. And they should be expected to obey the procedures and guidelines you put into action, and if they disregard these procedures there needs to be harsh punishment taken toward them. I think OSHA should actively engage businesses to find approaches that will lead to proper enforcement and better procedures. Sweeping regulations, based on desktop theories and one-size-fit-all philosophy, will not work. OSHA needs to take a real-world approach to worker safety that will actually uphold the standards that businesses are pursuing.

                                                                     Work Sited

Abaffy, Luke. "Field Data Management Tool Ups Capabilities." ENR: Engineering News-Record        270.1 (2013): 21. Academic Search Premier. Web. 6 July 2014.

Abaffy, Luke. "Ipads And Tablets: Time Saved Vs. Time Spent." ENR: Engineering News-Record 267.9 (2011): 20. Academic Search Premier. Web. 6 July 2014.

Abaffy, Luke. "Software Puts All Plan Sets At Your Fingertips." ENR: Engineering News-Record 269.12 (2012): 18. Academic Search Premier. Web. 6 July 2014

Goldman, T.R. “Worker Safety Is OSHA Falling Down On The Job?” CQ Researcher 4



Oct. 2013: 837-860.



Gonzalez, Jennifer. “Tablets Have Changed The Game At Construction Sites.” Idaho



Business Review (Boise, ID) (n.d.): Regional Business News. Web. 8 July 2014.



"Q&A: State Of The Slate." ENR: Engineering News-Record 267.7 (2011): 23. Academic



Search Premier. Web. 6 July 2014.



Van Hampton, Tudor. "Tablets Take Off." ENR: Engineering News-Record 267.7 (2011):





20-23. Academic Search Premier. Web. 6 July 2014.