Laying a Strong Foundation for Connected Safety on the Construction Jobsite

A five-step guide for implementing connected safety for construction workers and setting your organization up for success.

• By Shawn Gregg
• Mar 14, 2025

Keeping workers safe on the construction jobsite is always priority number one. But inclement weather, hazardous conditions, heavy equipment and more can sometimes make jobsite safety easier said than done. According to data from the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, construction was ranked as one of the three deadliest industries in 2022 as worker fatality rates averaged 9.6 deaths for every 100,000 employees. Those are difficult statistics to confront and indicate that despite industry-wide efforts to develop a culture of safety and compliance, there is much more work to be done. As such, many organizations are turning to innovations such as connected safety solutions to eliminate further risks on the jobsite and keep workers safe.

Connected safety solutions are unique in their proactive approach. These innovations can identify and prevent potential incidents before they happen. In fact, according to a survey released in December 2024 from the Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI) in partnership with Wesco, 95 percent of respondents that implemented connected safety solutions noticed a reduction in workplace injuries.

From wearables supported by sensors to networked devices such as cameras, connected safety solutions essentially act as a second set of eyes and ears for the safety manager, pulling in critical data and providing alerts or putting that information into one single dashboard. For example, connected safety solutions can provide real-time alerts around heavy equipment near-misses or conduct environmental monitoring in high-hazard spaces and issue alerts for air quality concerns.

The ability to proactively address issues is critical for safety managers on the construction site, as they are often tasked with managing an array of safety complexities that range from helping their team avoid electrical shocks to mitigating fall risks and ensuring proper PPE utilization. But how can organizations get started with connected safety on the construction site? Here are five steps to build a connected safety foundation and set your organization up for success.

Step 1: Conduct a safety audit

Frist, conduct a safety audit to understand your safety culture and identify potential areas of concern or additional training opportunities

Any good safety plan includes risk identification, outlines the necessary compliance requirements for the jobsite, and highlights the potential safety gaps. In construction, each site has its own unique nuances and considerations – some jobs might require a closer look at lone worker safety, while others might need to focus on heat exposure or ergonomics. Before work kicks off, be sure to take the time to conduct a safety audit to help ensure you have visibility into your overall safety program.

This is especially relevant for tasks that are not regularly assigned on the construction site. According to findings from ESFI, between 2011 and 2022, 49 percent of fatalities took place when an employee was performing a task they did not regularly execute. This is extremely pertinent when it comes to electrical safety. Additional research from ESFI noted that 70 percent of electrically related fatalities happened to non-electrical workers, as they are often unfamiliar with potential risks. This highlights a possible gap in your safety plan and serves as a reminder of the importance of safety training.

Ideally, this audit will uncover potential safety gaps, or areas for improvement.

Step 2: Identify, Test, and Plan Potential Solutions

Not every solution will be the right fit for your organization or your jobsite. With the audit complete, identify what solutions would best help solve the safety-related challenges you’re encountering. From there, work with your partners to test them before rolling them out on a larger scale. In particular, make sure the test answers these questions:

• Does your jobsite meet the connectivity requirements? When it comes to connected safety solutions, remember that connectivity matters. These applications can’t yield any benefits if they aren’t truly “connected” to each other. Make sure your site has the necessary Wi-Fi, cellular or Bluetooth coverage.
• Does the solution address the challenge? This may seem obvious, but two key parts of the test phase are defining a clear expected outcome and making sure that the solution can meet your needs. Specifically, does the solution help identify risks or hazards, and does it make a measurable impact on safety? A trusted partner can help ensure that your connected safety solution is ideally suited for your unique circumstances.
• Will the solution work with other systems you have in place?  A siloed connected safety solution that can’t “talk” to other systems you have in place across the jobsite may not be as valuable.

Along with the test, it’s important to plan the overall rollout to ensure it goes smoothly.

Step 3: Create Buy-In

Next, you must forge buy-in internally by engaging with key stakeholders and educating workers. There are two key audiences to engage when considering a new safety solution: leadership, and the workers who will end up utilizing the solution.

Justifying the amount of investment needed for any safety program can be a challenge, but the data demonstrate a clear ROI. According to OSHA, a 2021 study found that employers paid more than $1 billion per week for direct workers' compensation costs for disabling, non-fatal workplace injuries in 2018. Incidents that result in days away from work or that shut down the jobsite can also have significant financial repercussions. On the other hand, OSHA also found that every dollar spent on safety results in an ROI of $4 or more.   

For employees, communication, education and training are critical to helping ensure success. Fostering a safety culture where workers feel involved and empowered to provide feedback on proposed safety solutions – without risk of repercussions –is key. Focus less on compliance, and more about how connected safety solutions will reduce risks and help ensure that workers get home safe every day.  

Step 4: Plan for the Initial Launch

Clearly communicate the launch timeline so that relevant stakeholders – including workers – are aware. It also might be beneficial to conduct a smaller pilot program before the larger rollout to address any potential obstacles.

Step 5: Monitor Safety Performance

After implementation, monitoring safety performance to measure the impact. Connected safety solutions have the potential to deliver a significant return on investment and make a measurable impact on jobsite safety. Once these solutions are in place, examine your overall safety performance to determine if they’re addressing the initial challenges identified in Step 1. It’s important to have clear benchmarks or indicators in place beforehand to measure against. Perhaps it’s the incidence rate, or a specific type of jobsite injury. Or the benchmark could be your Experience Modification Rate (EMR). Whatever it is, having a concrete metric to look at for both pre- and post-implementation will help you demonstrate ROI and understand whether additional opportunities exist to enhance your safety program. 

Connected safety tools and technologies have the potential to be a transformative investment for the construction jobsite and the bottom line. By outlining the risks and safety gaps, understanding which innovations will work best for your construction jobsite, and working with your leadership team and employees to maximize the capabilities and value of these innovations, your organization will be well prepared to lay the foundation for connected safety success. 

This article originally appeared in the February/March 2025 issue of Occupational Health & Safety.