Wearable sensing technologies for improving workers' safety in the construction industry: A review

Occupational injuries are prevalent in the construction industry. These fatal and non-fatal occupational injuries could result in loss of productivity, absenteeism, and project delays. One way to reduce the manifestation of injuries is the use of wearable sensing technologies. This chapter summarizes the different types of wearable sensing technologies for improving workers' safety. In this chapter, published articles that met the inclusion criteria through a three-step method were compiled for the results and findings. The results revealed that the types of wearable sensing technologies include direct measurement sensors, real-time location system (RTLS)-based on radio frequency identification, remote-sensing techniques, RTLS-based on ultrawideband, fiber optic sensors, wireless sensor networks/wireless local area network/internet of things, global positioning systems/geographical information systems, behavior-based safety with proactive construction management systems, and RTLS based on Bluetooth sensing technology. The findings advocate the use of wearable sensing technologies for continuous monitoring of workers' movements to provide proactive preventive measures for safety in construction.