We are all familiar with the feeling of getting old.
But no one feels the harsh realities of ageing quite like those working in construction.
Being left with sore backs, dodgy knees, and stiff joints has long been considered part and parcel of being a tradie, as decades of physical labour begin to take their toll, doing a demolition job on tired bodies.
As the years pass, tradespeople often struggle with the cumulative strain years of hard yakka have put on their bodies as everyday tasks that once seemed routine become increasingly arduous.
Beyond the physical pains, tradies also deal with the mental anguish of ageing in a profession where stamina and strength are often considered crucial to overall job performance.
Overall, it’s enough for many tradies to call time on their careers while still having plenty to offer to the industry.
It’s an issue construction leaders desperately need to solve, with the industry needing to add 230,000 technicians and tradies over the next three years to meet the nation’s construction goals.
And with older tradies leaving the industry prematurely, that number will only increase further.
Thankfully, forward-thinking construction firms have found a way to keep older tradies around even when their body is ready to down tools.
The utilisation of modern technologies has allowed experienced tradies to transition into less physically intensive roles as companies leverage decades of experience to provide virtual coaching to younger professionals or those needing an expert eye.
The growing concept sees old tradies provide virtual support from an office-based environment as they guide colleagues and clients through more challenging aspects of a job using wearable on-site microphones and cameras.
Building on experience
Wearing a camera and microphone usually attached to a hardhat or pair of glasses, a worker will use mobile software to dial into the virtual coach, who will then be able to advise them of challenging aspects of the project or provide approval to particular clearance requirements.
Tech advisor, digital technologies leader, and innovation expert Harman Singh told Build-it virtual roles were offering a new job path for tradies coming to an end of their on-site career.
“Every major project brings about new challenges often that haven’t even been previously thought about,” Mr Singh told Build-it.
“There are times when even the most trained staff require some extra expert support, and sometimes that isn’t available on-site at that time.”
“They can get help then and there on the spot through the virtual coaching model.”
Mr Singh says better utilisation of wearable tech would provide an ageing workforce solution to help keep older construction workers in the trade for longer, benefiting both the individual company but also boosting struggling tradie numbers.
“We need to make it easier on them so they’re still going to be doing what they do best for years to come,” he explained to Build-it.
“When your knees give up on you, and you’re not able to go to the job site and climb those ladders and staircases, we want to leverage their years of accumulative knowledge by sitting them in the comfort of their house to coach the newcomers in the field.”
“We can use technology to keep the retiring workforce around for a little longer by extending their useful work life and leveraging their knowledge.”
The virtual coaching concept has long been a popular model in the US, and construction firms are trying to slow down the number of retiring workers leaving the industry at rates that are 2:1 higher than those entering.
Meanwhile, Aussie projects are also benefiting from its use, such as the Victorian Government’s Level Crossing Removal Project, which recently underwent a successful 9-month trial using wearable technologies to manage aspects of safety inspections and project management virtually.
Mr Singh was one of the project’s tech advisors. He said cameras were mounted to the hard hats of on-site workers to visually communicate with virtually based management staff when issues arose.
“We worked with construction contractors, subbies and the government to start asking;
How can we use wearable technologies and create a workforce that is more aligned with the future workforce?” he asked.
“Using this, we can significantly reduce delays caused by tied up staff, which can, in turn, throw off project times and increase costs.”
