Wearables Sensing Devices for Safety Monitoring in Construction: A Perspective from the Field

10 pages•Published: June 2, 2026

Ayodele Fasoyinu, Anoop Sattineni, Kenneth Sands and Modesta Uzochukwu

Abstract

Despite Wearable sensing devices' (WSDs) capability to enhance real-time safety monitoring on construction jobsites, their adoption remains limited due to cost, privacy concerns, and worker acceptance. Existing studies on WSD acceptance have focused on workers with prior exposure, leaving limited insight into how those without experience assess their usefulness – a key determinant of adoption intention. This gap was addressed through semi-structured interviews with 17 construction fieldworkers (11 trade workers, 6 supervisors) across four project sites in Alabama, USA. Interview data were coded and organized into themes. Findings revealed five application areas: (1) heat-exposure nudges, (2) moving-equipment alerts, (3) electrical-proximity warnings, (4) edge/height reminders, and (5) air-quality notifications. Participants primarily valued alerts for proximity to moving equipment, energized rooms or cables, and early heat warnings. However, they will prefer not to get WSD alerts during less risky tasks or precision tasks that require full concentration. Also, most participants expressed concerns that false alarms would disrupt their workflow. Additionally, six enabling features were identified and thoroughly discussed. Collectively, the findings from this study clarify when WSD alerts will help or hinder work and specific design requirements that can improve acceptance and sustained use. Future research could examine data-sharing preferences and organizational enablers.

Keyphrases: construction safety, safety monitoring, technology adoption, wearable sensing devices, worker acceptance

In: Wesley Collins, Anthony Perrenoud and John Posillico (editors). Proceedings of Associated Schools of Construction 62nd Annual International Conference, vol 7, pages 1212-1221.

Links:	https://easychair.org/publications/paper/sSGR
	https://doi.org/10.29007/v1cn

BibTeX entry

@inproceedings{ASC2026:Wearables_Sensing_Devices_Safety,
  author    = {Ayodele Fasoyinu and Anoop Sattineni and Kenneth Sands and Modesta Uzochukwu},
  title     = {Wearables Sensing Devices for Safety Monitoring in Construction: A Perspective from the Field},
  booktitle = {Proceedings of Associated Schools of Construction 62nd Annual International Conference},
  editor    = {Wesley Collins and Anthony Perrenoud and John Posillico},
  series    = {EPiC Series in Built Environment},
  volume    = {7},
  publisher = {EasyChair},
  bibsource = {EasyChair, https://easychair.org},
  issn      = {2632-881X},
  url       = {/publications/paper/sSGR},
  doi       = {10.29007/v1cn},
  pages     = {1212-1221},
  year      = {2026}}

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