Technology is fast progressing and constantly caters to solutions in different spheres of human endeavour. In recent times, technology has found its way into medicine, birthing Digital Health and construction, and Digital Construction through radical developments like Building Information Modelling (BIM).
Digital health is adopting ICT in health and other medical practices to diagnose illnesses and prevent health escalations. It covers mobile health services, telemedicine, wearable gears and devices, and telehealth. Since it gained popularity, it has greatly accelerated access to healthcare services, improved the health awareness of the populace, and reduced loopholes in the health sector.
On the other hand, digital construction is a deviation from the manual mode of engaging construction work. It is the use of digital technologies or tools to improve the operation and execution of projects during construction.
Besides, who wants to return to the Stone Age?
With technology making its rounds in several industries, a welcome development in the health sector has been adopting blockchain technology into its everyday operations.
Blockchain is a decentralized digital system for storing data. Its unique feature revolves around avoiding falsification, as data stored cannot be changed, hacked into, or falsified. With this technology, Digital Health has pushed its boundaries into construction and provided an avenue for Occupational Health & Safety Management systems to operate flexibly in firms.
How Digital Health Supports Digital Construction Using Blockchain
The introduction of the Occupational Health & Safety Management System (OHMS) to the construction industry has greatly benefited construction workers, construction outputs, and the industry. OHMS includes various health records, policies, and standards adopted by the management of any organization, including construction firms.
With the high probability of recording injuries and casualties during construction projects, there is a need to reinforce adherence to health and safety procedures to reduce these and further health risks. Digital Health has come to play in creating an avenue for workers to be certified mentally and physically fit to work. This claim is backed up by a blockchain-powered digital certificate bearing the health records of the worker, which is verifiable by the asking party (sub-contractors, site owners, project owners, and even government agencies).
Since its inception, this blockchain-powered solution has been crucial in securely digitizing and storing workers’ medical data, giving them access to it without having to pass through tasking medical procedures. It does this as it ensures absolute data security as it cannot be altered or falsified.
Technology has come a long way and is here to stay, and the future of OHMS is in how much technological innovation is being adopted into the system.
