Safety first! Safety is the first goal in any work process. To finish a construction project, resources such as workers, large machines, and materials are needed. These resources frequently move from one location to another location on the construction site. In this process, however, some very common accidents occur. The most common of these include falls from higher levels, e.g. workers falling from scaffolding or into holes in the ground, or workers being hit by larger machines. Overall, for the last 13 years the United States construction industry has experienced over 1,000 fatalities annually, accounting for more than 25% of all industry workplace fatalities. The problem of safety is much bigger when considering developing countries such as India and China, where construction is proceeding at a frantic pace. To solve it, this research aims to improve construction worker safety by creating methods to integrate new sensing technologies on the job site that can automatically detect and warn workers early enough before getting hurt. These technologies include optical systems, such as cameras or lasers, and wireless systems, such as radio based tagging for detection and tracking of workers, machines, and materials.
This research will establish automated site monitoring and recording as an integral part of construction safety management. Additionally, this research will also provide a new set of tools for training construction workers and construction educators in best practices for worker safety at today's increasingly complex construction sites. This research will lead to new training materials and practices that will have a direct impact on worker safety. Because of the inherent diversity of the construction labor pool, this research will have broad impact on labor safety and training for minority groups as well. This research will actively include students with interest in civil, electrical, and computational engineering.
Safety first! Safety is the first goal in any work process. To finish a construction project, resources such as workers, large machines, and materials are needed. These resources are dynamic and frequently move from one location to another location on the construction site. In this process, however, some very common accidents occur. The construction industry is responsible for more than 800 worker deaths every year! One of the more common accident causes is being hit by a large piece of equipment. In fact, close to 25% of these relate to being struck-by a piece of equipment or other construction hazard. To solve this problem, this research aimed to improve construction worker safety by creating methods to integrate new sensing technologies on the job site that can automatically detect and warn workers early enough before getting hurt. Although several commercial technologies exist, including optical systems, such as cameras, lasers, and ultrasound which can be deployed on vehicles, they all have limitations (some don’t work at night, some have very short range, etc.). Proposed was a wireless system that uses radio signals and tags for detection and tracking of workers, machines, and materials. The outcome was the design, prototyping, and testing of a novel energy-harvesting passive RFID tag that does not require a battery for alerting persons being too close to a hazard. The technology was tested in field-like harsh work environment such as construction sites, and the potential for further research and development was determined. This research has established automated site monitoring and recording as an integral part of construction safety management. Additionally, this research provided a new set of tools for training construction workers and construction educators such as best practices for use of technology in protecting worker safety at today's increasingly complex construction sites. This research has contributed fundamental new methods of how vehicle blind spot are measured and assessed, how immersive real-time 3D immersive visualization environments can improve equipment operator visibility, and how workers are protected from being too close to nearby operating equipment or other hazards that threaten life or health. This research has already led to new technology, training materials and implementation practices that will have further and a direct impact on worker safety. Because of the inherent diversity of the construction labor pool, this research in the long run will have broad impact on labor safety and training for minority groups as well. This research has actively included students with interest in civil, electrical, and computational engineering in research, and was included in multiple outreach activities, such as in high school student outreach activities, safety education and training of students and professionals, etc. Most recently the topic of real-time pro-active worker detection, warning, and alert technology has received significant attention in the public media and in the capital facilities industry. The research team has disseminated this research using multiple peer-reviewed journal article, conference proceedings, and articles in local and international newspapers, television, and trade magazines.
