2.10 Potential strategies to enhance safety technology adoption in
feasibility of the technology. Besides, any incompatibility of the technology with the existing practices can be detected through the pilot testing. Thereafter, redesign of the software or machines can be performed to tackle the issue. Given that proven effectiveness of a technology is one of the adoption considerations, pilot application can yield motivating effects to adopt the tested technology by offering evidence base to the firms (Ayinla and Adamu, 2018).
2.10.4 Organise technology exhibitions
Considering that technological knowledge is essential for users prior to adopting technology, organising technology exhibition is therefore a potential strategy to grease the wheels of safety technology adoption. According to Sepasgozar, Davis and Loosemore (2018), technology exhibition is an event or market place that allows the potential adopters to explore feasible means to enhance their existing practices or conquer their current issues. It is pinpointed that technology exhibition is far more effective than the other adoption strategies as it is able to aim a huge number of potential adopters at only one place.
This approach is expedient as it offers a conducive environment for the technology vendors to interact with the potential adopters. In other words, the vendors can demonstrate and explain the technologies physically to the potential adopters, thus allowing them to learn and gather information regarding the newly developed technologies available in the industry (Sepasgozar and Davis, 2018). In such a context, verbal communication can streamline their understandings of a particular technology, especially in the circumstances when the technology is complicated. This is particularly beneficial for those potential adopters that have none or little technology knowledge. Besides, this exhibition also allows the customers to compare the technological products offered by different vendors. By provoking awareness towards these products through the exhibition, the construction firms’ adoption intentions are likely to be persuaded and steered towards investing and implementing these technologies in their projects. With this in view, technology exhibition is regarded as a notable medium for technology transfer which ultimately aids in elevating the adoption decision process (Sepasgozar and Davis, 2019).
2.10.5 Provide government incentives
As aforementioned, the initial investment cost of technology has been recognised as a prominent factor of safety technology adoption. In view of this, Ayinla and Adamu (2018) advocated the view that government can contribute to give a lift on the technology adoption through granting incentives to various construction firms. Accordingly, such an effort can shave off the implementation cost directly, subsequently expediting the company’s participation in new technology (Yuan and Yang, 2020). Indeed, such public financial support is an enticement to captivate more potential adopters to implement technologies in their projects (Suprun and Stewart, 2015). It has also been studied that most of the clients in the Chinese construction industry acknowledged that government policies are immensely valuable for the adoption of technology such as BIM (Yuan, Yang and Xue, 2019). Besides, government incentives are also beneficial in the development of technical expertise (Ahuja, et al., 2018), which is highly critical for facilitating the diffusion of technologies. Apart from this, Yuan, Yang and Xue (2019) further proffered that tax exemption would be able to invigorate the technological application in the industry.
2.10.6 Establish government mandates
In an European study, Delgado, et al. (2019) emphasised that both incentives and mandates are drivers of technology adoption, nonetheless, mandates are far more effective than incentives in terms of expediting the adoption process. In the UK, the government has enacted a mandate for the application of BIM particularly for public projects and have shown satisfying adoption outcome.
Similarly in Canada, it has been denoted that setting BIM as a mandatory provision for public projects can galvanise the rate of BIM adoption (Porwal and Hewage, 2013). This is also in line with the research conducted by Ayinla and Adamu (2018) in the UK where it has been argued that the government mandate is an effective approach as some construction firms tend to stick with traditional practices. In this regard, the government can stimulate awareness of firms on enhancing safety through technological application. Darko, et al. (2018) also strengthened the point that government mandates can significantly bolster
the adoption of technology as these mandatory regulations will exert regulatory strain on the companies to apply technologies in their projects in order to fend off amercement as a result of non-compliance.
2.10.7 Revamp organisation culture and attitude
According to Ayinla and Adamu (2018), a competent change management approach is a feasible strategy to raise the adoption level of technology in construction projects. Senior management levels of construction firms should exercise top-down motivation strategy to wipe out the traditional mind-set of conducting works. The active involvement of top management will vigorously transform the workers’ safe working concepts. In this vein, their positive attitudes, support and commitment are indispensable aspects to initiate advanced and efficacious technological adoption plan. Such a supportive organisation culture can provoke the workers’ concern towards safety, ultimately triggering the acceptance of technological application in work processes (Mohammadi, Tavakolan and Khosravi, 2018).
2.10.8 Reinforce training and education
Successful adoption of safety technology can never be achieved if the project team is poor in technology knowledge. In fact, education and training are tremendously essential to equip the project team and workers with necessary safety technology knowledge to carry out their works. Besides, such approach can also stimulate awareness of a particular technology concept. This implies that the technical capabilities of the workers can be augmented, which are crucial to the successful technology diffusion (Manley and Mcfallan, 2006). As such, government along with the decision-makers in the industry should encourage the setting up of training board aiming to train the construction practitioners pertaining to innovative safety management. Construction firms on the other hand should also take regulative measures to reinforce the technical skills of the workers (Enshassi, Ayyash and Choudhry, 2016).
Additionally, construction firms can hire new workers who are technically sound and have the ability to train and guide the existing team. It is also further emphasised that training should not just only be provided to the
workers in a construction firm, but the subcontractors and suppliers should also undergo the necessary training to ensure successful adoption of technologies in construction projects (Ahn, Kwak and Suk, 2016).
2.10.9 Recruit new graduates
In a past study, Manley and Mcfallan (2006) advocated hiring new graduates as a human resource approach to raise the innovativeness of construction firms.
Owing to the graduates’ exposures to university courses based on state-of-the- art technologies in the construction industry, graduates are viewed as valuable in the perspectives of innovative companies. Besides, some innovative companies deduce that elder employees might be uncreative and obstinate in advancement, hence, they tend to favour young and active workforce over the elder ones. Furthermore, Ayinla and Adamu (2018) suggested training fresh graduates to utilise their knowledge and skills for technology application. In light of this, the quality of higher education is a pivotal strategy (Suprun and Stewart, 2015). More technology-related courses should be covered in the universities to immerse the graduates in technical knowledge and expertise which can contribute to the construction industry (Ahuja, et al., 2018).
2.10.10 Collaboration between industry, universities and research institutes
A tenacious research and development base of technology could aid to raise the technology adoption level. University and research institutes can contribute by developing new technology and designing technology that fits for the construction projects. Thereafter, their research ideas can be transferred to application in actual projects. Besides, they can also validate research outcomes and generate new solutions to tackle the identified issues hampering adoption and further development (Suprun and Stewart, 2015). Furthermore, Shafiq and Afzal (2020) also asserted that the construction industry and academia should work together to encourage construction safety. More scholarly attention should be given to the safety technologies in the industry. Given this, the government should grant funding to support R&D efforts such as setting up R&D centres (Darko, et al., 2018) to eliminate the hindrance of high research cost and eventually trigger interest in innovation investment (Suprun and Stewart, 2015).
2.11 Summary of the potential strategies to enhance safety technology