‘Robocops’ at work: Atwill-Morin rolling out exoskeletons on construction sites

The exoskeleton fits each worker perfectly. (CNW Group/Atwill-Morin Group)

Construction firm Atwill-Morin, which has locations across Ontario and Quebec, has purchased a dozen exoskeletons in what it called a “step forward” for the safety of its workers.

The exoskeletons will gradually make their appearance on the company’s worksites, particularly in the Quebec City and Capitale Nationale regions, it said, including a historic hotel project it is working on in the Old Quebec neighborhood.

“This innovation implies a change of culture among our troops, insofar as, at a time when the health and safety of workers is becoming a major issue, we had to find an unprecedented solution to an equally special challenge,” said CEO Matthew Atwill-Morin, adding that he aware that the challenges of masonry and site work require particular attention to the health and well-being of the company’s employees.

The weight of a load can be reduced by up to 8 to 10 times. (CNW Group/Atwill-Morin Group)

The company, which compared the suits to the Hollywood Robocop films, said they are designed to “ensure that pressure in the body’s limbs, particularly the knees, is eliminated, as is the weight of the loads, which is thus more evenly distributed, sparing all the joints of the human body at the same time while reducing to zero, or almost zero, the risk of injury and accidents in the workplace.”

It said employers are responsible for offering workers the ability to relieve awkward postures and pain associated with repetitive movements in all sectors of activity, from materials handling to construction.

In addition to reducing musculoskeletal disorders, these exoskeletons will ultimately enable significant improvements in human performance and productivity, by speeding up the pace or increasing workers’ strength almost tenfold; they enable workers’ movements to unfold smoothly, taking on around 70 per cent of the load being handled, it said.

It also touted the benefits of staff retention and recruitment with the use of exoskeletons, something critical in a sector facing labour shortages.