36Zero-Oracle alliance prioritizes jobsite optimization, worker wellbeing, and safety in one

Oracle and 36Zero, a UK- and Dubai-based construction technology company, have formed a strategic alliance at the Oracle Industry Lab in Reading, England.

36Zero, whose AI-driven labor data platform integrates with Oracle’s Primavera P6 project management software, provides previously unseen visibility into “jobsite optimization,” an area of increased focus as the construction industry continues to digitize. Uniquely, 36Zero also provides a worker welfare and site safety module.

“It's one of our most important alliances given the richness of data that the relationship with Oracle provides for our joint clients worldwide,” says David Redmond, 36Zero founder and CEO. “Our collaboration also provides a trusted foundation for joint R&D through our shared vision for how AI can shape the future of how labor is protected and optimized on heavy industry projects. But more than that, sometimes you team up where you are trying to make it work because it sounds right. Our collaboration with Oracle really is right. There's such a strong connection with Oracle Primavera P6’s capabilities that elevates our platform and vice versa. Oracle’s global presence also enhances our ability to scale globally, which is in our plans for the Middle East and the US.”

A true picture

It is widely reported the construction industry operates at 1% to 2% profit margins. Labor costs can account for roughly half of a project build cost, yet the data to underpin labor efficiency is often undigitized and guesstimated.

When 36Zero is integrated with Oracle’s Primavera P6 software, subscribers can see site access/departure data for payroll, actual versus planned worker and contractor/trade hours, and progress against workstream in 36Zero’s Data360 (or via an API in P6), enabling proactive action when project timelines are challenging.

Data can be filtered by contractor, job type, and zone and presented on a floor plan section in real time or as a timeline. However, this data is presented in a way that doesn’t single out individual workers.

“It's not about micro-tracking of employees, but rather a trade, floor, zone or site-level macro view to spot trends and incidents where inefficiency occurs in real time, which may be caused by safety, worker health, or location-based data,” says Kelley Malcher, 36Zero’s lead product owner.

Worker first

36Zero’s AI-driven platform brings a new safety and worker welfare dimension to Oracle P6 by incorporating the Budy360, a durable, jobsite-tested wearable device that privately collects, stores, and analyzes real-time data of workers onsite. The platform is integrated with Primavera P6 Enterprise Project Portfolio Management, Oracle’s software for prioritizing, planning, managing, and executing projects.

The solution is built to predict risk, which is of significant interest to insurance underwriters as well as clients as the system collects a variety of real-time and static data for situational, environmental, compliance risk, and individual workers’ health status. It alerts construction supervisors and workers should the data suggest an incident is more likely, such as heat stress, dehydration, and other potential safety issues.

Redmond, 36Zero’s CEO, recently returned from a client in Saudi Arabia, where he says workers outdoors for long stretches of time in extreme heat were excited to get their Budy360—“this new touchy feely thing” that sends alerts in real time should their health vitals change. It’s a huge sign that their employer supports their wellbeing, he says.

36Zero’s focus on worker wellbeing also includes pre-employment medicals, fit-to-work assessments, and ongoing health monitoring. Worker health data is anonymized and aggregated for site manager reporting, while personalized health data is available only to workers privately via an app on their phone.

Connecting the data

Oracle Primavera P6 is the central heartbeat of a project. With P6 and 36Zero, clients now get a view into ROI correlations for how positive worker health programs affect project output and timelines, how safety incidents delay or require alterations to project plan, and how planned workstream activity based on labor deployment is executed.

“Wearables are becoming more common throughout construction,” Redmond says. “But if you turn up on day one with a watch and say, ‘Here you go, wear this,’ it’s not going to go over well. The narrative must be around inclusion, education, and making it fun.”

“Marriage made in heaven”

Geoff Roberts, director of industry and innovation for Oracle Construction and Engineering, emphasizes that the industry must continue to focus on employee safety and worker welfare while keeping projects on time and on budget.

“That’s exactly what this collaboration brings to the lab in a number of unique ways,” Roberts says. “Just one example is the ability to support physical health monitoring as well as awareness of mental health issues.”

The Oracle Industry Lab is facilitating alliances for 36Zero with other Oracle units and third-party technology providers. For example, there may be solutions in hospitality that work across construction, Malcher says.

“The Oracle team has been great,” she says. “They're testing out lots of technologies and encouraging us to talk with other technology collaborators to see how we can work together. Our alliance with Oracle is a marriage made in heaven.”

Learn more about the integration.