National Construction Appreciation Week: Putting Worker Safety at the Core

This week is National Construction Appreciation Week, a time to recognize and celebrate the hard work of the men and women in the construction industry who help to build America.  

With over 8 million employees, the construction industry and its workers play a vital role in building infrastructure and boosting the economy in the United States. 

Establishing safety procedures at construction sites helps to protect the most valuable asset in construction operations: the workers. We believe that safety is more than just a checklist: it’s a commitment, which is why Epiroc USA collaborates with SafeStart, an advanced safety awareness and skills development program in the world that provides training to help workers avoid injuries that are caused by human factors.  

Image source: “Unlocking the Code to Human Error”, https://safestart.com/articles/unlocking-the-code-to-human-error/  

Instead of focusing solely on rules and procedures, SafeStart emphasizes how personal risk factors such as rushing, frustration, fatigue, and complacency can increase the risk of making critical errors, like losing balance, grip, or awareness of surroundings. The program equips employees with practical skills to recognize these states in real time, apply simple prevention techniques, and make safer choices both on the job and at home. By shifting the focus from compliance to personal accountability and awareness, SafeStart builds lasting safety habits, reduces injuries, and supports a stronger overall safety culture across the organization. On average, SafeStart has helped companies reduce injury rates by 50% within the first year of utilizing their training. 

When it comes to safety, Epiroc recognizes the importance of not only protecting the health and safety of our own personnel, but emphasizing the importance of maximizing safety for our customers and business partners around the world. Our portfolio of OEM-agnostic machine control and situation awareness solutions help to manage emergencies and avoid accidents in the workplace. By equipping your team and equipment with state-of-the-art technology designed with safety in mind, you will not only protect your valuable assets but also boost overall productivity and efficiency while meeting regulatory compliance.  

What are some of the solutions and technologies that Epiroc offers to increase safety in the construction industry? 

1. Automation: From features that range from automatic functions to complete automation of entire fleets, our Machine Automation solutions improve operational efficiency and productivity while protecting workers. Currently, we offer both SmartROC and Pit Viper options. Additional solutions include platforms such as our Common Automation Panel (CAP), a revolutionary system designed to tele-remote autonomous machines. The system allows the operator to switch between different machine types, managing entire fleets of drill rigs from a remote location away from potentially hazardous work sites. To learn more about how machine automation can improve your processes, click here.  

1. Situational awareness: Epiroc’s digital solutions enhance situational awareness with technology that offers unmatched flexibility, scalability, and safety. LinkOA, short for “Open Autonomy”  provides solutions for drills, haul trucks, and blasts operations by enabling autonomous machine operations and fleet integration. With LinkOA, you can have real-time control and monitoring of all your equipment, so you can have full situational awareness. The Mobilaris Blast Support is a digital tool that provides a 3D visualization with open space positioning of every personnel’s location. A technology-agnostic program that is compatible with various tags including Epiroc’s virtual tag, an application for smartphones, Blast Support integrates seamlessly with Situational Awareness, which comes with a Zone-based messaging feature that allows personnel in the control room to send messages to operators on site. 
2. Collision avoidance technology: Epiroc’s Titan Collision Avoidance System (CAS), is capable of full level 7, 8, and 9 collision avoidance solutions. To define these levels, level 7 is operation awareness, a warning system that avoids the operator. Level 8 is advisory controls, an advisory system that notifies the operator, and level 9 is intervention controls, which takes control from the operator. Level 9 systems are collision avoidance systems, which intervene by slowing down or stopping machines to minimize collision with pedestrians or other objects. Together, these technologies turn data into actionable insights that improve decision-making, reduce downtime, and create safer, more efficient operations.
    

As we celebrate National Construction Appreciation Week, it’s important to remember that the progress and growth we see across our communities is made possible by the dedication of the people working on job sites every day. Their safety must remain the top priority. By embracing advanced technologies like automation, situational awareness platforms, and collision avoidance systems, construction companies can significantly reduce risks, protect their assets and ensure more efficient and resilient operations. At Epiroc, we are proud to support the industry with innovative solutions that not only enhance productivity but also uphold our shared commitment to safety and sustainability in construction. 

Interested in learning more about Epiroc’s portfolio of digitalization and automation technology?