As more construction wearables for job sites emerge—such as personal devices that monitor heart rates, sensors that track worker location and detect falls, and hard hat inserts that check for fatigue—contractors are concerned regarding whether the data collected is protected, according to www.constructiondive.com.
There currently are no standards to govern how data collected from wearables is used and protected, but that could change. At its annual meeting in November, the International Safety Equipment Association plans to discuss developing privacy and use standards—or at least guidance—for the data collected from wearables, as well as how workers can view the information and in what ways the data can be analyzed to predict trends and patterns to better help workers.
Michelle Schaap, an attorney with Chiesa Shahinian & Giantomasi PC, identified several areas of concern ISEA may want to include in its discussions, including questions regarding a wearable’s alert and the employee’s response; if a wearable or wearable app is hijacked and the worker’s data is accessed or altered; and whether the information will be used to decide whether to retain workers, among other questions.
Anthony Colonna, Skanska USA’s senior vice president of innovative construction solutions, says wearable technology standards could make workers more comfortable using the devices.
“When standards are developed that anonymize data to address those privacy concerns,” Colonna says, “I believe people will become more receptive. At the same time, if employees can truly trust that there’s a personal value added by sharing certain data—like when it improves their personal health and safety, for example—then they will likely be more than willing to share their personal information.”
However, Matthew Ramage, business area director for labor, equipment and materials at Trimble, says the standards must be developed in a way that won’t hinder construction productivity but will be “credibly perceived” as a method to ensure the data collection regarding employee activity will improve working conditions and help employers manage risk.
“The simple way to do this is to either offer visibility of the improvements from collation of this data via digital signage—or reporting on things like reduction in dangerous incidents—or offer each employee details of what, why and how data is going to be collected and used prior to implementation,” Ramage says.
Lydia Baugh, ISEA’s director of external affairs, says the development of a broad standard for connected workers likely will take up to three years.
