Smart Construction

[Anchor Lead]

Construction sites are always at risk of accidents. However, the latest Internet-of-Things technologies help prevent calamities and allow workers to respond to accidents swiftly.

[Pkg]

When a sealed construction site becomes filled with a toxic gas, a warning message appears on the supervisor's tablet computer.

[Soundbite] "The oxygen level is falling sharply. Check and take measures."

The whereabouts of each worker are marked on the site map in detail to facilitate rescue efforts. Vibration sensors help minimize the risk of building collapse in advance. Under the "smart construction" project, sensors connected to the Internet are installed in various parts of construction sites.

[Soundbite] Kim Ji-young(Daewoo Institute of Construction Technology) : "People cannot keep everything in check.It's important to create an environment where sensors can be used to check constructionsites and take measures swiftly."

However, high costs remain an issue. Small and mid-sized builders cannot afford to pay for GPS tracking devices for each worker as well as gas and vibration sensors, which require Internet connection.

[Soundbite] Park Dae-hee(SK Telecom) : "We are preparing a market where IoTcan be used for 300-500 dollars a month instead of paying hundreds of thousands of dollars at once."

This year, 316 workers died in accidents at construction sites in Korea, which is tantamount to one worker being killed daily.