Construction Trends to look out for in 2021
When it comes to your trade, it’s important to keep up to date with current construction trends and pivot where necessary to stay relevant within the market.
Construction equipment companies are no different to this rule and following the pandemic which continues to affect companies across America, 2021 is sure to be a year of re-emergence and growth in the construction industry.
Keep reading to see the trends that you must keep a sharp eye on in the remainder of 2021, which will help give you an innovative edge compared to your competition in the industry!
Wearables & Safety
Construction sites are prone to workplace related accidents and fatalities. According to Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), 5,333 workers died on the job in 2019, which equates to more than 100 per week or 15 a day. The most frequently violated OSHA standard in construction is fall protection.
To resolve this problem, we’re seeing a huge rise in tech developers creating safety-focused tech additions to the standard construction uniform.
SmartBoots have been developed by SolePower, which detect harsh changes in pressure caused by shocks and falls and then automatically report an incident in real time – as well as that employees location – to other staff or managers through their smart watch or phone. If the idea of plugging your boots into the wall to charge is crazy, fear not – they charge as you walk, making them an efficient part of your kit.
It doesn’t just end at boots though – Hard hats are receiving the same treatment. The SmartCap is a band you insert into a cap of your choice and will monitor how alert you are and if you are getting fatigued to prevent you from microsleeping.
These will be the perfect partners to the smart phone and watch duo and will help in preventing injury and getting immediate help as needed.
Project Management Software
We’re seeing more software being created with tradespeople in mind, rather than office workers or tech companies. This is a great way for project managers to adapt as tech improves but also keeps their data, tasks, information and goals in one place rather than filed away on pieces of paper and spreadsheets.
Procore is a range of smart construction management apps which allows monitoring of progress and performance, budgets, scheduling and even sharing photos from the construction site as tasks are completed. The software has been created with Owners, Head Contractors and Sub-Contractors in mind, with recommendations of apps specific to each role in order to make everyone’s work more streamlined.
Invoices can be created, quality and safety can be managed through scheduling necessary inspections and recording incidents and so much more. Anyone still using the old pen and paper should look into project management apps that can be installed to an iPad or tablet, for easy transportation around the site.
Post-Covid Employment Rising
The covid-19 pandemic has drastically impacted the construction industry, with many people being laid off and jobs being paused or delayed. This of course affected the construction equipment industry by default as no one was buying or renting equipment, as no one is able to work during lockdowns.
According to AARP, unemployment rates of construction workers rose from 5% in December 2019 to 9.6% in December 2020 – which is losses of nearly 441,000 people working in the construction industry in one year.
Covid-19 is still prevalent in the USA, however with precautions being taken, as well as everyone getting used to the ‘new-normal’, such as wearing a mask and sanitizing, we are seeing a rise once again in employment and work as consumers take advantage of lower real estate prices.
Following the year we’ve all had, it’s safe to say the construction & equipment industry have a lot to look forward to, both personally and in terms of construction equipment trends on the rise. As an industry we need to see improvements to productivity, safety and employment, which can be achieved through innovation and smart construction tech.
Do you have more questions? Feel free to contact us at your convenience. We have branches in Nevada, Texas, California, Colorado and Tennessee all ready to assist you with your construction equipment needs.
