Led by OPPBTP, CCCA-BTP, and the Excellence SMA Foundation, in partnership with Impulse Partners, the Health & Prevention Innovation Lab in the Construction Industry is entering a new phase. Its objective: to strengthen prevention and health in the building and public works sector through a collaborative innovation approach, closely aligned with the needs expressed by companies and training organizations.

Created in 2018, the Health & Prevention Innovation Lab in the Construction Industry has set itself the mission of "boosting innovation in prevention and safety on construction sites." By fostering connections between construction companies, training organizations, and startups, the initiative acts as a prevention accelerator, enabling stakeholders in the sector to adopt innovative measures to improve health and safety at work. Today, the "Lab" is taking another step forward, now relying on direct feedback from the field to identify priorities and guide the search for solutions. "The Lab's partners wanted to refresh the themes and approach to better reflect the sector's evolution and the needs of construction stakeholders. This dynamic will allow us to address prevention challenges with a new perspective, in line with the realities on the ground," explains Fabienne Tiercelin, Executive Director of the SMA Excellence Foundation. In concrete terms, companies and training institutions are now contributing to the joint development of an annual roadmap by sharing their challenges. This participatory approach pursues a threefold objective: to identify the real challenges facing companies; to explore new topics; and to co-create an annual roadmap that closely aligns with the expectations of those working in the field.

Defining a roadmap…

On October 14th, the revamped Lab held its first working session, bringing together around twenty companies and training organizations of all sizes and from all sectors* (structural work, civil engineering, telecommunications networks, public works, HVAC engineering, etc.). Participants shared their experiences, their daily challenges, and their needs for improving health and safety on construction sites. These discussions identified four main categories of "needs" and some thirty associated themes.

Mental health and well-being: to train and support managers in detecting and managing complex situations, developing compassionate management approaches, and providing tools for identifying well-being at work.
Prevention culture and risk awareness: to establish simple and shared safety rituals, strengthen training pedagogy and impact measurement, and involve all hierarchical levels in a proactive prevention culture.
Safety alerts on construction sites and in the field: to reduce collisions between machinery and pedestrians, identify risky situations in real time using AI and connected sensors, and secure operations in isolated or hard-to-reach areas.
Worker assistance: to improve working conditions on construction sites, prevent musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), control dust, adapt to high temperatures, reduce noise pollution, and protect the health and comfort of operators. These four strategic directions form the basis of the new roadmap for the Innovation Lab, which will guide the work until 2026.

…to propose concrete solutions

Following this initial step, the Lab team and Impulse Partners undertook extensive research and sourcing with a range of innovative startups and SMEs to identify technological, organizational, and educational solutions capable of meeting the various needs expressed. Some of these solutions (which were presented on November 27th at an event open to the entire sector) will be tested in the field, with feedback shared in spring 2026.

Towards a Culture of Sustainable Innovation in the Construction Industry

With this unprecedented momentum, the Health & Prevention Innovation Lab in the Construction Industry is establishing itself as a collective driving force for the sustainable transformation of the sector. By leveraging feedback from stakeholders, it creates a virtuous cycle between fieldwork, innovation, and prevention. “When it comes to innovation, the ideal is to question the field, to enrich ideas through collective reflection and experimentation in order to provide concrete solutions,” concludes Thiébault Clément, Technical Director of OPPBTP. “This is the whole point of our new approach: to transform operational needs into tangible, effective, and immediately applicable advancements, thereby strengthening the safety of teams on construction sites.” Ultimately, this collaborative approach could well inspire other sectors facing the same challenges: reconciling performance, safety, and well-being at work. Let's get to work!

Photo credits: ©K-Ryole

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