Using the Workforce's Physiological Strain Monitoring to Enhance Social Sustainability of Construction

Abstract

Construction safety is a critical component of social sustainability, since it considers the health and welfare of construction workers. Construction activities are generally physically demanding and performed in harsh environments. Anecdotal evidence suggests that physical strain may lead to accidents and injuries. Moreover, excessive physical strain can increase the risk of developing musculoskeletal or cardiovascular disorders. Thus, physical strain may deeply affect workforce's wellbeing in the short and long term. Therefore, a monitoring system that is able to assess workers' physical strain may be an important step to enhance social sustainability of construction. Recently-introduced Physiological Status Monitors (PSMs) have overcome the past limitations allowing physical strain to be monitored without hinders workers' activities. Three commercially-available PSMs have been selected and a testing protocol has been developed to assess PSMs' reliability in monitoring construction workforce during dynamic activities. The selected PSMs are presented along with initial results that confirm that recent advances in wireless telemetry and sensing technology can potentially affect construction sustainability.