Edge of the World: The Most Amazing Places on Earth

Purpose of Report 

The construction industry is known to be one of the most hazardous sectors suffering from a high on-site accident rate. The high number of safety hazards originates from the nature of the construction workers' dynamic activities and their respective equipment. This trend analysis aims to help prevent or minimize the levels of potential danger caused by hazards in the construction site. Specifically, Gismondi Angela (2019) has introduced a new app that leverages social media platforms' benefits intending to improve safety culture in the workplace (Wang et al., 2019). Construction site safety goes a huge mile in reducing the risk of injuries to the public and minimizing the risks of work-related accidents and injuries. 

Industry SWOT Analysis 

Here is the SWOT analysis for the EC Edge App for enhancing safety in the construction sector: 

Strengths 

Ability to leverage user data to get feedback and to enhance safety amongst users 

High levels of flexibility of the application. Enabling users to enjoy many features like push notifications, socialization, and collaboration amongst workers, 

Ability to scale the software in the future to meet the industry needs 

Weaknesses 

This is a new software never used anywhere before. It would require more resources to train the stakeholders and users to get used to the application and embrace it. 

Need internet connection at the construction site to use the application 

Opportunities 

Billions of dollars invested in software engineering in social media applications like Facebook. Leveraging on this technology to develop safety for the construction industry 

The application could be leveraged as the industry standard for promoting collaboration amongst the workers in sites and across the industry 

Threats 

The application can be downloaded from the normal app stores and used locally on the phone. Other players are likely to copy the application and duplicate the features. 

Some constructors or engineers do not allow the use of the phone on the site. This means that the app may not help prevent hazardous or sounding alarm when at work on the site. 

Past, Current, and Future Projects 

Past : Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and several other social media platforms have invested billions of dollars in software engineering. This technology has been successful, and the EC Edge engineers believe they can leverage on similar technology to promote collaboration and safety in the construction sector 

Present : The EC Edge is currently a prototype. It is a combination of e-Compliance and Field ID application built on the concept of feedback from all customers, leveraging on social media technology and other new technologies. 

Future : EC Edge software looks forward to implementing push notifications to send and receive safety updates while at the construction sites. Team Dashboard will be designed to bring transparency to the site's safety performance by giving information to all team members. 

Differentiators 

The EC Edge app for safety is new software for promoting safety in the construction industry based on collaboration. This application is unique and a first of its kind in the market for several reasons, including the following: 

The application encourages safety collaboration between workers in the same construction site 

The application does a miracle in regards to promoting participation in the sector on the front line with the foremen and supervisors 

The application communicates things in social media like fashion, communicating issues that could go wrong to prevent them in advance. 

1.6 Trends and Insights 

A number of current and future trends affect the development and adoption of EC Edge App in the construction industry. This includes the increase in the prevalence of workplace accidents, a rise in smartphone adoption, and advancements in technology, among many other factors. Regardless of the setting -whether it is a corporate, construction, or manufacturing environment -tragic workplace accidents occur every day (Nnaji & Karakhan, 2020). In the construction industry, these accidents claim the lives of many construction workers. Some of the fatalities are 100% preventable. Recognizing that many workers are injured every day and smartphone adoption is on the rise, construction companies have increasingly invested in technology to protect construction workers (Nnaji & Karakhan, 2020). This includes the adoption of the IoT ("Internet of Things") technology to enhance worker safety. IoT applications have the ability to prevent hazards in the workplace environment and proactively alert workers through networked applications. This technology helps take costly human error out of the safety equation, giving construction workers and workers in other environments a reliable safety partner 24/7. 

With the advance in technology, companies are increasingly developing and/or adopting newer technologies to improve workplace safety (Nnaji & Karakhan, 2020). Some of the key trends that the construction industry has envisioned playing out in 2020 include eCompliance and EC Edge App. A continued trend for 2020 is that safety professionals will increasingly adopt FieldiD, eCompliance, and the newly developed EC Edge App in their work environment. The construction industry's important opportunity is to steer construction companies toward tools and resources that they can integrate into the workplace to enhance safety in the workplace. 

2.0 Secondary Research Review 

A comprehensive search strategy was developed for the following database: GBC Library databases. The objective of the search was to determine the following: the prevalence of workplace accidents in the construction industry, the need for workplace safety, currently available proactive approaches to injury prevention, and the aim of the eC Edge app. In the subsequent subsections, a summary of each objective source is provided. 

2.1 “ Occupational Injuries Overview: General Descriptive Study of The Petrochemical Construction Industries” 

One of the main factors that necessitate the development and/or adoption of proactive approaches to injury prevention in the construction industry is the increase in the prevalence of workplace accidents. As construction work increases, so do the number of fatalities. In fact, the construction industry is classified as a high-risk industry (OSHA "Occupational Safety and Health Administration," 2020). This is because the prevalence of worker injuries is high in the construction industry than in other workplaces. Despite achieving noteworthy improvements in occupational safety, the construction industry is continuing to face significant occupational injuries and fatalities. According to a 2016 study conducted by Kalatopur and Khavaji, the construction industry records approximately six times as many fatalities per hour worked as most other industries. For instance, despite representing only 7.7 percent of the total U.S. workforce, in 2016, 22 percent of nationally reported work-related deaths were recorded among construction workers (Kalatopur and Khavaji, 2016). Occupational exposure to hazard is very high in developing countries. This is because, in developing countries, there is limited attention to health and safety issues, and most of the tasks in the construction industry are performed manually. 

2.2 “ The Importance of Safety in Construction Sector: Costs of Occupational Accidents in Construction Sites.” 

Worker safety is now an on-the-job priority ( Yilmaz & Çelebi, 2015) . Due to the growing prevalence of construction workers' accidents, many construction companies have realized the need to enhance workers' safety. In this respect, companies are taking proactive approaches to injury prevention and treatment ( Yilmaz & Çelebi, 2015) . This includes safety training, implementation of IoT technology, and adoption of myriad new technologies, such as virtual reality, wearables, and drones. For example, drones are often employed in construction works to provide project teams with accurate real-time job site data. Injuries have a negative effect on employees. In particular, injuries can have a significant negative impact on an employee's productivity and that of the company as well ( Yilmaz & Çelebi, 2015) . Construction companies recognize that addressing employees' safety concerns optimize their workforce and lower the cost of injury and illness ( Yilmaz & Çelebi, 2015) . Given that backdrop, a number of workplace safety trends have started to emerge. Just like technological companies, the construction industry is significantly investing in technology to enhance workplace safety. 

2.3 “ Predicting Safety Hazards Among Construction Workers and Equipment Using Computer Vision and Deep Learning Techniques” 

The use of technology as a preventive tool for workers' injuries and fatalities has gained substantial attention in recent years. Some of the technologies that are currently employed in the construction industry include computer vision and deep learning techniques (Wang et al., 2019). Many construction companies are currently employing computer vision and deep learning techniques to process the videos and images captured on construction sites. Construction companies achieve this by installing surveillance cameras around and within the construction site (Wang et al., 2019). In this way, the construction managers and safety professionals would be able to monitor and analyze the interaction between workers and equipment. Through this, the construction manager would be able to identify danger zones. 

One of the surveillance cameras that is increasingly being used in the construction industry are drones. Small Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) to provide construction workers and safety professionals with accurate real-time construction site data. Through the use of UAS, construction managers can determine the layout where the task is being performed and where equipment is being used. Through the use of UAS, construction managers can determine whether or not the construction work is being conducted safely. While relying on already developed technological applications, other new applications are continuously being developed to improve workplace safety. One such application is the EC Edge app. 

2.4 “ EC Edge App Aims to Improve Jobsite Safety Collaboration” 

As stated earlier, technological companies, such as Social Networking Companies (SNSs) like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, are hugely investing in software engineering. According to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of eCompliance, Adriana Bartha, the aim of developing the EC Edge app is to leverage the benefits provided by these SNSs to improve workers' safety in the construction industry (Angela, 2019). With this technology, users, who are primary construction workers and safety professionals, can use this software to receive important safety updates from their respective construction companies. EC Edge app, once deployed, will offer a new way of encouraging collaboration on safety between workers and safety professionals working within the same construction company. 

2.5 Information from Social Media Sites 

eC Edge App was designed by eCompliance, a developer of workplace safety software. According to a 2019 article published by eCompliance on its website, eCompliance unveiled a concept version of the eC Edge in 2019 (eCompliance, 2019). Its Beta version was launched in 2020, and according to the developer, eC Edge App is the "amalgamation of the best features of both FieldiD and eCompliance in one platform" (eCompliance, 2019, 29). eC Edge App was designed to transform behavioral adaption to strengthen workplace safety culture. The application has a number of features that facilitate real-time participation feeds. Some of these features include News Feed, Reporting Hazard IDs, High Fives, and Team Dashboard (eCompliance, 2019). Users of the eC Edge App can enable Push Notifications so as to receive vital safety updates from their respective construction companies. The main aim of the eC Edge App is to improve job site safety collaboration. 

3.0 Conclusion 

3.1 Summary 

OSHA classifies the construction industry as a high-risk industry. Its work environment is characterized by a high rate of occupational accidents and fatalities as compared to other work environments. In this respect, the construction industry has envisioned a number of key trends playing out in the next few years. One of the growing trends is the increasing adoption of technological applications to enhance job site safety in the construction industry. Among the technological applications that the construction industry envisions is the eC Edge App. This application was unveiled in 2019 by eCompliance. eC was designed to improve job site safety collaboration by leveraging some of the benefits provided by social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. An industry SWOT analysis for the eC Edge App indicates that the application can leverage user data to get feedback and improve safety among construction workers. Furthermore, the app is highly flexible and scalable. However, eC Edge App is new and has never been deployed before. Thus, more resources will be required to train the stakeholders to ensure they embrace the application and get used to it. As construction work increases, so do occupational injuries and fatalities. Given that backdrop, construction companies should adopt and implement the eC Edge App in their work environment. 

3.2 Evaluation 

eC Edge App is designed to promote job site safety collaboration. eC Edge is comprised of the best features of Field iD and eCompliance. The application encourages safety collaboration between workers in the same construction site. In this way, the workers would be alert to each other about hazards. This will, in turn, help reduce the incidence of occupational injuries and fatalities in construction sites. Overall, eC Edge App has a competitive edge over all other existing proactive approaches to promoting workplace safety. this is because the application is flexible and scalable; the ability to scale it to meet the industry demands gives this application a competitive edge in the market. Thus, construction companies should adopt eC Edge App in their work environment to promote job safety collaboration. 

References 

Angela, G. (2019). EC Edge app aims to improve job site safety collaboration. Daily Commercial News, Vol. 92 (204): 1-2. 

Dawood, N., Miller, G., Patacas, J. M. D. L., & Kassem, M. (2014). Construction health and safety training: the utilisation of 4D enabled serious games.  Journal of Information Technology in Construction ,  19 , 326-335. 

Gismondi, A. (2019). EC Edge app aims to improve jobsite safety collaboration . Daily 

Commercial News; Markham Vol. 92, Iss. 204, (Oct 23, 2019): 1-2. 

Kalatpour, O., & Khavaji, S. (2016). Occupational injuries overview: general descriptive study of the petrochemical construction industries.  Caspian journal of health research ,  2 (1), 37-43. 

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). (2020). Construction industry. Available at: https://www.osha.gov/construction . Accessed November 23, 2020. 

Wall, D. (2020). Ontario construction ponders safety duty following announcement of 

essential status. Daily Commercial News; Markham Vol. 93, Iss. 60, (Mar 26, 2020): 1-2 

Wang, M., Wong, P., Luo, H., Kumar, S., Delhi, V., & Cheng, J. (2019). Predicting Safety Hazards Among Construction Workers and Equipment Using Computer Vision ad Deep Learning Techniques. In  ISARC. Proceedings of the International Symposium on Automation and Robotics in Construction  (Vol. 36, pp. 399-406). IAARC Publications. 

Yilmaz, F., & Çelebi, U. B. (2015). The importance of safety in construction sector: Costs of occupational accidents in construction sites.  Business and Economics Research Journal ,  6 (2), 25.