Three major industrial companies join safetytech regulatory sandbox

Balfour Beatty, BAM Nuttall and Heathrow Airport will work with Discovering Safety, a programme of work delivered by Britain’s health and safety regulator, to explore new opportunities to improve safety and risk management.

(Press release Safetytech Accelerator:) London, 22 March 2023: Three major construction and infrastructure companies have agreed to participate in the Industrial Safetytech Regulatory Sandbox, the world’s first regulatory sandbox for industrial safetytech, it was announced today.

Balfour Beatty, BAM Nuttall and Heathrow Airport will explore new opportunities to improve safety and risk management with Discovering Safety, a programme of work delivered by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Britain’s health and safety regulator, and Safetytech Accelerator, a technology accelerator dedicated to advancing safetytech in industry.

They will be joined by UK-based technology companies with products and services designed to improve safety and risk management in industrial workplaces. Safetytech Accelerator started recruiting technology participants for the sandbox in February.

The sandbox aims to explore ways to undertake assessment and compliance activities more effectively, to help accelerate the adoption of proven safetytech products in industry, and to understand and reduce barriers that might delay the development of new life-saving technologies. It will focus initially on innovation around significant areas of risk in construction, including falls from height, vehicle collisions, crane operations and manual handling.

Andrew Rippington, Health and Safety Lead in BAM Nuttall’s Safety Department, comments: ‘We find this project really interesting and welcome the chance to support innovators with real-world experiences that will inform the sandbox and keep solutions useable. We’re keen to identify challenges and also identify areas where we can enhance.’

Roly Latif Head of Health, Safety and Wellbeing for Heathrow Infrastructure, comments: ‘It’s exciting to have the opportunity to work with experts and encourage knowledge sharing and innovation. Supporting experts in developing technology-led solutions that solve old and new problems could change the risk profile of future Infrastructure projects.’

Dr Helen Balmforth, Head of Data Analytics at Health and Safety Executive and lead on Discovering Safety, comments: ‘We are delighted that Balfour Beatty, Costain, BAM Nuttall and Heathrow Airport will be part of the sandbox. They will provide valuable insight to help us understand and reduce barriers that might delay the development and deployment of new life-saving technologies.’

Dr Maurizio Pilu, Managing Director at Safetytech Accelerator, comments: ‘Industrial partners are vital for exploring how new technologies such as AI, analytics, wearables, drones and robotics improve safety and risk management. We are excited about partnering with these companies for the sandbox and, hopefully, helping industrial safetytech innovations through to wider adoption in the construction industry and beyond.’

Safetytech Accelerator is also mapping the UK landscape of technology companies either focused primarily on occupational safety in industry, or where safety gains are a key benefit of the application of their technology. Companies with relevant products are invited to register on Safetytech Accelerator’s website to be informed about new opportunities with Safetytech Accelerator and its industrial partners.

About Discovering Safety

Discovering Safety is a groundbreaking project being delivered by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and partners including Safetytech Accelerator. Funded by Lloyd’s Register Foundation, it aims to improve health, safety and operational performance through the use of innovative data and analytical techniques. It has developed and is delivering a programme of work which includes industry-endorsed, proof-of-concept applications, based on insights from HSE and other data partners. Discoveringsafety.com

About The Health and Safety Executive

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety. We are dedicated to protecting people and places, and helping everyone lead safer and healthier lives. Our role goes beyond worker protection to include public assurance. We work to ensure people feel safe where they live, where they work and, in their environment. Hse.gov.uk

About Safetytech Accelerator

Safetytech Accelerator is the world’s first fully dedicated technology accelerator focused on safety and risk in industrial sectors. A non-profit organisation established by Lloyd’s Register, Safetytech Accelerator’s mission is to make the world safer and more sustainable through the wider adoption of safetytech. Technology companies can register their interest in joining the sandbox and be alerted to additional future opportunities at safetytechaccelerator.org

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