Avoid Fake Fall Claims on Construction Sites Using Kwant

Within recent years, there has been a significant increase in fake or staged construction falls with tradespersons across the nation, especially within NY. Many Owners and construction companies have been receiving fake construction worker falls on their jobsites. There have also been many cases where the workers were never even on the jobsite when making the claim. Some construction companies have even gone on record mentioning they received upwards to 450 fraudulent workers’s compensation claims due to fake falls within the last four years.

The question arises, how can we prevent fake or staged falls, so that we are prepared when a real fall occurs? To avoid the ‘boy who cried wolf’ story, many owners and construction companies have begun implementing smart wearables such as smart RFID badges or hard hat tags with built in sensors to their workforce. Companies like Kwant have been very successful in this field, focusing on worker safety and productivity. 

To mitigate these risks, construction companies should invest in comprehensive safety training, conduct regular audits and inspections, implement strict reporting protocols for accidents, and foster a culture of transparency and accountability. Additionally, utilizing technology such as smart wearables with sensor and surveillance cameras can help in monitoring and deterring fraudulent activities on-site.

When there is an intentional or staged fall on a construction site, the impacts can be very.

Factors Contributing to Real Workplace Falls

• Working in high places
• Unstable surfaces
• Falling objects
• Lack of proper safety equipment
• Fatigue and lack of focus

The Impacts of Fake or Staged Workplace Falls 

• Company safety and integrity is at risk
• Heavy financial costs
• Company reputation on the line
• Projects delays
• Employee morale 
• Legal & regulatory risks

How Fall Detection Works

Fall detection uses sensor technology to detect when a person falls or trips within a workplace. This form of technology is commonly used with wearable devices such as smartwatches and smart badges to monitor the event of a fall.

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Generally, when a person falls, their body experiences a sudden / rapid change in motion and direction. Fall detection solutions like Kwant can catch these movements under or over 6ft.

There are two primary categories of fall detection systems: active and passive. Active systems employ sensors to detect falls in real-time, while passive systems utilize algorithms to analyze sensor data, such as accelerometer data, to identify patterns that suggest a fall.

Avoiding Fake Fall Claims with Smart Badges

Smart badges are simple safety wearables that act as a form of ID with built-in location awareness sensors that help keep workers and jobsites safe and productive. 

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Kwant’s smart badges provide a suite of built-in safety solutions like fall detection, near-miss detection, SOS button alerts, and restriction of high-risk zones which can be very useful in proactively preventing incidents.

Smart badges are a great way to validate if a worker was actually on a jobsite. If in case there is a fall, an instant alert and notification will be sent to management with the time, location, and worker identification.

Smart badges are very useful in determining if the worker was actually at the jobsite and validate if there was an actual fall. The moment there is an actual fall, management would get an instant alert and would take action immediately.  There have been many cases where fall claims were made and the person was never even on the jobsite.

Lowering Costly Insurance Premiums with Fall Detection 

Many companies are now thinking outside the box when it comes to reducing jobsite risks in hopes to lower their costly insurance premiums. One tangible solution to lower workers’ compensation is by utilizing smart badges like Kwant that help provide insights into when, where, and how the incident occurred on the jobsite.

As liability insurance continues to rise for many construction companies, it is important to understand what technology is out there that can help potentially lower and mitigate risk. Today, many contractors are claiming to receive more fall claims than in previous years. If you are curious about potentially lowering your insurance premiums, reach out to Kwant.

Learn how to avoid fake fall claims today with Kwant.