SLIPS, TRIPS & FALLS
RETHINKING CONSTRUCTION SAFETY FROM WITHIN
Why are slips, trips and falls a safety challenge that still persist, asks Ani Surabhi, CEO and Founder of Quin.
Image Credit: Jonas KullmanMips
In construction, slips, trips and falls remain one of the most common causes of injury and lost working days. According to the UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE), 31% of non-fatal workplace injuries in 2023 and 2024 were due to slips, trips or falls on the same level.
Despite the widespread and mostly mandatory use of hard hats, construction and industrial workers are still at risk for severe head injuries, including concussions. They can suffer concussions from the impact force of a slip, trip or fall and falling objects.
Employers are legally required to carry out site-specific risk assessments before work begins. But even with these in place, most safety measures remain reactive. The helmet protects after the fall, but does not indicate what happened or whether medical help is needed. As a result, near-misses go unnoticed, minor incidents are underreported and serious injuries may be underestimated.
WHY INCIDENTS GO UNSEEN Construction sites are full of variable hazards. Uneven ground, temporary walkways over rebar, loose cables and open ducts are all common. In low-light areas, visibility issues increase the chance of falls. Outside, rain-soaked ramps or icy scaffold boards introduce further hazards.
Lone workers are particularly vulnerable. When a fall or impact occurs in an isolated part of the site, help might not arrive quickly. Without any way to detect the event automatically, these workers are at greater risk of complications or delayed treatment.
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THE GAPS IN CONVENTIONAL HARD HATS A typical hard hat protects against direct linear force, such as falling debris, but not the rotational motion caused by angled impacts. Yet, whether the head strikes the ground after a fall or is hit by a falling object, the impact is rarely straight-on. Angled impacts introduce rotational motion, which increases the risk of brain injury. To reduce harm, we must look beyond compliance and consider the real conditions workers face. Real injury prevention begins with understanding risk. That includes better data, smarter reporting and a willingness to invest in high- performing safety equipment.
UNDERSTANDING TBI AND CONCUSSION
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is more common than many realise. The most frequent type is concussion, which makes up around 75 % of all TBI cases. What is often missed is that 90% of diagnosed concussions do not involve a loss of consciousness. And nearly 50% of TBIs go undiagnosed.
This is where two technologies come together: Mips and Quin. Mips uses a low-friction layer inside the helmet to help reduce the rotational motion that could be transferred to the head during certain angled impacts. Quin’s system measures force, direction and velocity in real time to help identify potential impact events.
WHERE ADVANCED MOTION INTELLIGENCE TECHNOLOGY CAN HELP
The Quin Pod’s sensors can detect movement, impact and temperature changes. More importantly, they can classify those events. Was it a drop, a fall, or a piece of debris striking the helmet? If a serious event is detected,
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