Webinar Replay and Highlights: Accelerating Safety in Construction Through Digital Innovation

Smarter Regulation Sandbox webinar replay: On the 14th of March, we hosted the webinar “Accelerating Safety in Construction Through Digital Innovation.” This was in collaboration with Discovering Safety (a programme led by Great Britain’s Health and Safety Executive, HSE). We introduced the Smarter Regulation Sandbox, an initiative run by Discovering Safety and Safetytech Accelerator.

What was the purpose of the Smarter Regulation Sandbox Webinar:

This event offered a strategic overview from both government and industry representatives. The purpose was to highlight the potential of digital innovation to enhance safety and also compliance in the construction sector.  Firstly, emphasising a forward-thinking approach to smarter regulation. Secondly, this programme aims to reduce the regulatory burden on the industry while promoting technological progress. 

Key Highlights from the SRS webinar included: 

Success and Future Directions of Regulation Sandboxes:

Introduced by Dr. Helen Balmforth Head of Centre for Data Analytics for Discovering Safety, the session reflected on past successes of the Industrial Safetytech Regulatory Sandbox. This was a world’s first in bringing together the regulatory, industry and tech companies to address barriers to adopt safetytech in construction. The discussion illustrated a roadmap towards more dynamic and effective regulatory frameworks. In addition, these frameworks support technological advancement while ensuring safety and compliance. 

Vision for Smarter Regulation:

Zaineb Khalick (Smarter Regulation Directorate) shed light on the government’s ambition to transform regulation into a more accessible, efficient, and smart system. The focus was on the development of the Open Regulation Platform (ORP). This is a digital initiative aimed at making regulatory information more navigable and machine-readable. Thereby simplifying compliance processes, and stimulating innovation across the industry. 

Industry Opportunities:

From the perspective of a tech company. Seb Andraos CEO of HAL Robotics illustrated the sandbox’s potential to revolutionise industry practices through advanced robotics and digital technologies. Highlighting the tangible benefits and opportunities for innovation, this presentation highlighted the critical role of technology. Specifically in advancing health and safety measures in construction. 

“If you are considering participating in the Sandbox, I can wholeheartedly recommend it. It was a unique opportunity to work with HSE Experts and industrial end users simultaneously with a really clear common goal. It gave the participating tech companies  space to really dig into the problems and do some root cause analysis”.  Seb Andraos CEO of HAL Robotics 

Engagement and Benefits of the Smarter Regulation Sandbox:

Seb Corby, Principal consultant at Safetytech Accelerator provided a comprehensive overview of the sandbox’s advantages. Including avenues for participation and collaboration. The discussion emphasised how tech companies, industry stakeholders and researchers can engage with this initiative. The purpose being firstly, to develop digital products and services that leverage regulatory data to drive safety and secondly, the efficiency in construction. 

If you want to find out more about how to get involved with the new Sandbox, then visit the dedicated page on our website. 

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