A discreet back brace designed to be incorporated into a high-vis jacket, designed by a former soldier and managing director of SMB Brickwork in collaboration with a Harley Street spinal clinic, is among the first wave of safety innovations awarded funding by house builder Berkeley Group.
The £2m fund was unveiled in January with the aim of radically improving safety and wellbeing across the construction industry, with an open call for innovative ideas.
The fund received more than 50 submissions, and awarded more than £1m to 10 promising ideas that will go from drawing board to building site within months.
The chosen 10 went through a rigorous selection process involving face-to-face interviews and presenting the idea to a cross-industry panel.
Rob Perrins, managing director of the Berkeley Group, said: “I have been really struck by the quality of ideas and how the industry has engaged with the fund. The breadth of thought and ingenuity has been a real eye opener. We have had bids from contractors, academics, individuals and industry bodies.
“Construction is one of the biggest employers in Britain. I feel very strongly that we all have a common interest in making it a safer and healthier place to work.”
The 10 projects that will receive grants of between £10,000 and £250,000 are:
- A spinal device that can be fitted to high visibility jackets to minimise back injuries, designed with the help of noted design consultant Seymour Powell.
- An intelligent collision avoidance system that can prevent common incidents occurring with large vehicles and pedestrians.
- A novel approach to detect hand arm vibrations (HAVs) which harm 300,000 workers across the UK at present and led to 60,000 claims for damages in 2013 alone.
- A national 24/7 helpline specifically aimed at SMEs to help them report near misses and share good practice. This will be run by the Lighthouse Charity Club.
- A joint initiative with the Road Haulage Association (RHA) to reduce the number of on-site traffic incidents, through the development of a Code of Practice and an approved driver training course.
- A dust extractor, which catches loose particles – a product that could transform the way carpenters work and reduce exposure to harmful wood dust.
- An online portal to provide small construction businesses with free online access to occupational health provision. The hub is the brainchild of Constructing Better Health.
- Research led by Glasgow Caledonian University to examine how workers and management communicate on site and develop better models for engagement.
- A revolutionary product that allows cables to be supported to a ceiling, preventing individuals tripping over trailing cables during later stage construction.
- The development of a safety inspection device for scaffolds and temporary works. It offers a new intuitive approach to inspections on site, reducing the paperwork and the scope for human error.
The £2m fund was described as “transformational” by the chief executive of Constructing Better Health, Michelle Aldous.
Talking about the group’s award for an online portal, she said: “Health & Safety is a matter of life and death but traditional avenues for funding new ideas have dried up, so support like this from Berkeley is completely transformational.”
Further applications for suitable innovations are welcomed until April 2016. For more information visit www.berkeleyinnovationfund.co.uk or email [email protected]
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