SmartSite Safety is a Y Combinator-backed startup that offers a hardware and cloud-based software solution that helps construction companies track worker exposure to noise, airborne particulates, and UV rays. While the hardware components are off-the-shelf and physically deployed on the construction site, the software application is proprietary, logs data automatically in the cloud, and alerts workers when they need to mitigate conditions.
Ultimately, the concept behind SmartSite is to allow construction companies and their EHS professionals to monitor the health and safety of their workers in real-time, and without requiring them to wear or carry additional kit. Data is automatically logged so internal processes can be continuously improved. The company also promises predictive analytics (about trends in specific locations in the field or during certain shifts). And with OSHA increasingly scrutinizing labor practices and recordkeeping requirements, the company promises a more seamless compliance solution than hand-generated reports.
SmartSite is in beta with a number of construction companies at the moment and was developed in the UK with assistance from the UK Government’s technology development program. Construction can be a dangerous business – according to the Department of Labor, nearly 1000 people lost their lives in the field in 2014. So expect startups to continue focusing on applying tech solutions to this area that is of critical importance to the industry.
