Ten years ago, in 2010, it wasn't uncommon for a Project Manager or Site Manager to have a work-issued iPhone or Samsung Galaxy. White-collar employees were given access to employer-supplied smartphones so that they would have the technology to work better and faster. But the other 95% of people on site - the workers - haven't been bought into the mix.

By nature, construction is a high-risk industry, which has led to an abundance of regulations and red tape designed to promote safety.

NAIDOC week celebrates the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island people. Normally NAIDOC week is held early July, but 2020's events had postponed it to the week of 8-15 November.

Although we have a long way to go towards achieving social and economic equity, the construction industry is one of the leaders in providing employment opportunities to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island community. Compared to the average of all industries, the indigenous employment rate is 1.8 times higher in construction (2016 Census, Australian Bureau of Statistics).

We wanted to dive deeper, so we turned to the data inside our platform. This is what we found:

People working in the construction industry are at high risk of suffering from fatigue. The workers on site are at particular risk because of their demanding workloads, physical strain and prolonged working hours. The risk of falling asleep at your desk is one thing, but it's another to be nodding off while you're operating a crane.

The construction industry has a unique challenge when it comes to COVID-19 management and contact-tracing requirements: having to manage a highly transient workforce. Construction workers often work across multiple sites and under the management of multiple General Contractors - where someone works on a Monday is often completely different to where they will be on a Wednesday. This means that the vast majority of current contract-tracing solutions don't actually work in construction.

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Practical Digital Construction Transformation is the enablement of real-time communication of information using digital technologies. This can include person-to-person communication for collaboration, system/person communication for informed decision-making or system-to-system communication to make operations more efficient and effective.

We know that increased worker engagement with safety leads to better safety outcomes. Safety-first companies are already actively trying to increase workforce engagement and attitudes toward safety by having regular safety training/meetings, running employee recognition programs and having more management involvement in site safety activities.

Paperwork isn't a substitute for genuine engagement, involvement and responsibility for safety, nor is it legal protection. 

When it comes to technology adoption, there are two general assumptions made about the construction industry: