On-site safety inspection of tower cranes: A blockchain-enabled conceptual framework

Abstract

The on-site safety inspection is an essential procedure to ensure tower cranes’ safety in the usage stage by finding equipment defects (e.g., loose bolts) and potential environmental hazards (e.g., poor ground conditions) in advance. However, the following two issues should be tackled to secure its effectiveness: (1) how to guarantee the execution of safety inspections, especially under a tight construction schedule? and (2) how to ensure the inspection information is immutable, transparent, and traceable?This research, guided by the design science approach, aimed to develop a blockchain-enabled framework for assuring the effectiveness of on-site safety inspection of tower cranes (OSITC). First, a literature review was conducted to identify OSITC challenges and blockchain potential. Then, a blockchain-based conceptual framework was provided, with two major components: smart contracts and the consensus process, being discussed. Finally, using the Hyperledger Fabric architecture, a prototype system was developed to instantiate and test the proposed framework. The findings suggest that the blockchain can protect the OSITC’s effectiveness by allowing safety inspections to be automatically executed via smart contracts and providing relevant stakeholders with trustworthy inspection records via consensus algorithms. This study provides a novel solution for tower crane safety management to construction researchers and practitioners, inspiring more discussions about blockchain technology.