Construction Safety Research Articles

INTEGRATING PREVENTION THROUGH DESIGN (PTD) INTO ENGINEERING CURRICULA

For many years, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and construction safety experts have advocated for implementing the Prevention through Design (PtD) concept in the United States. PtD aims to eliminate construction hazards during the design phase to prevent or reduce occupational injuries, illnesses, and fatalities during the construction phase. PtD is achieved by incorporating prevention considerations into all designs that may impact workers' safety. Civil and architectural engineers are considered the primary initiators of PtD in the construction industry, with the ability to educate project owners and construction practitioners about its benefits and importance. However, this group has a few, if any, educational interventions or training opportunities to develop PtD knowledge and skills in the United States. As a result, faculty members who may be willing to teach the PtD concept in their design courses (e.g., concrete, steel, foundation and traffic design courses) have limited exposure to the PtD concept and no clear guidelines to integrate PtD into their courses. This study surveys engineering department chairs in the United States to assess their perceptions about integrating PtD into the engineering curriculum. The findings showed that most participants do not favor incorporating PtD as a standalone course in the engineering curriculum. However, they expressed their support for integrating the concept as small modules within existing engineering design courses. Faculty members, teaching engineering design, should be provided the necessary resources to achieve this. This study contributes to our understanding of PtD integration strategies within engineering programs.

Sensitivity Analysis of Influencing Factors of Karst Tunnel Construction Based on Orthogonal Tests and a Random Forest Algorithm

To conduct a sensitivity analysis of the relevant parameters that impact the mechanics of tunnel construction in karst areas, firstly, the orthogonal design and range analysis method is applied to sort the 11 kinds of karst-tunnel-influencing factors from high to low according to the sensitivity degree. Secondly, the random forest algorithm based on an orthogonal experimental design is applied to the feature importance ranking of the influencing factors of karst tunnels. Thirdly, according to the results of the sensitivity analysis, the optimum combinations of influencing factors of tunnel construction in karst areas is obtained. The research based on these two methods shows that when taking the vertical displacement as the target variable, the parameters with the highest feature importance are A6 (tunnel diameter) and A10 (tunnel buried depth). When taking the first principal stress as the target variable, the most important influencing factors are A10 (tunnel buried depth) and A9 (location of karst cave). When taking the principal stress difference as the target variable, the most important influencing factors are A10 (tunnel buried depth) and A6 (tunnel diameter). The level combination of the 11 influencing factors obtained by taking the principal stress difference as the target variable was more balanced than the vertical displacement and the principal stress difference as the target variables. The results of this study will provide a theoretical basis to study key parameters in the response of mechanical characteristics to the safe construction of tunnels in karst areas.

Analisis Profil Kecelakaan Konstruksi pada Proyek Bangunan Gedung di Indonesia

The construction sector is the highest contributor to construction accidents, which is 31.9% of the total construction accidents. One of the leading causes of accidents is the need for more awareness from workers and companies of the importance of implementing OHS at work. This situation arises due to the need for maximum planning and implementation of the Construction Safety Management System through the Minister of Public Works and Public Housing, and the Indonesian government has issued Regulation Number 10 of 2021 concerning construction safety guidelines. Data collection in this study is secondary data, namely construction accident reports by the Construction Safety Committee. The analysis used is archival analysis, where the report is mapped to produce statistics on construction accidents based on the type of project, time of occurrence, day of occurrence, the impact of the accident, and the cause of the accident. The results showed that the building became the first rank of construction project types with a percentage of 35% where the occurrence was in the morning before noon, namely 08.00-12.00, and on Tuesday became a day that often occurred construction accidents based on the construction safety committee. It was found that the cause of the accident was dominated by human factors and work equipment, which would impact the damage to the building itself with a percentage of 56%. The results of this study will be helpful for implementers/construction accident experts as guidelines for the future

Efficient numerical simulations on the forest barrier for seismic wave attenuation: engineering safe constructions

This paper aims to elucidate the clear visibility of attenuating seismic waves (SWs) with forest trees as natural metamaterials known as forest metamaterials (FMs) arranged in a periodic pattern around the protected area. In analyzing the changeability of the FM models, five distinct cases of “metawall” configurations were considered. Numerical simulations were conducted to study the characteristics of bandgaps (BGs) and vibration modes for each model. The finite element method (FEM) was used to illustrate the generation of BGs in low frequency ranges. The commercial finite element code COMSOL Multiphysics 5.4a was adopted to carry out the numerical analysis, utilizing the sound cone method and the strain energy method. Wide BGs were generated for the Bragg scattering BGs and local resonance BGs owing to the gradual variations in tree height and the addition of a vertical load in the form of mass to simulate the tree foliage. The results were promising and confirmed the applicability of FEM based on the parametric design language ANSYS 17.2 software to apply the boundary conditions of the proposed models at frequencies below 100 Hz. The effects of the mechanical properties of the six layers of soil and the geometric parameters of FMs were studied intensively. Unit cell layouts and an engineered configuration for arranging FMs based on periodic theory to achieve significant results in controlling ground vibrations, which are valuable for protecting a large number of structures or an entire city, are recommended. Prior to construction, protecting a region and exerting control over FM characteristics are advantageous. The results exhibited the effect of the ‘trees’ upper portion (e.g., leaves, crown, and lateral bulky branches) and the gradual change in tree height on the width and position of BGs, which refers to the attenuation mechanism. Low frequency ranges of less than 100 Hz were particularly well suited for attenuating SWs with FMs. However, an engineering method for a safe city construction should be proposed on the basis of the arrangement of urban trees to allow for the shielding of SWs in specific frequency ranges.

Factors influencing safety behaviours of construction tradesmen

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) observed that 90% of fatalities arise from the familiar ‘fatal four’- falls, electrocutions, stuck-bys and caught –in between. American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) also fingered other four hazards due to exposures on construction jobs not paid attention to yet far more construction workers suffer chronic injuries or illness. These infamous concerns make research findings on factors influencing safety behaviours of construction workers ever relevant and this is the focus of this paper. A total of 117 construction tradesmen out of the 159 sampled within Lagos indicated their degree of agreement with factors capable of influencing construction workers’ safety behaviour on a five-point Likert scale. These were factors adjudged to influence construction workers safety behaviour based on extant literature. The data were analysed using Mean Item Score and Factor Analysis. Construction tradesmen agreed that they are influenced by 25 of the 37 (67.56%) identified factors influencing safety behaviour firms of construction workers. Meanwhile, construction firms’ management commitment to the safety behaviour of tradesmen is the most prominent principal factor. The commitment of the management in developing safety initiatives, training, provision of personal protective equipment, and enforcement of safety rules among others will enhance safety behaviour among construction tradesmen. The study only assessed the opinions of tradesmen in the construction industry in Lagos state. The identified factors might not be generalized to construction professionals. This paper recommends that construction managers make deliberate effort in enhancing good safe behaviour of their tradesmen. This will improve their physical wellbeing, boost construction health and safety in the construction industry and significantly reduce construction fatalities. This paper fulfils a present pertinent need of reducing construction fatalities by focusing on factors influencing the safety behaviour of construction tradesmen.

Analysis and prediction of compressive and split-tensile strength of secondary steel fiber reinforced concrete based on RBF fuzzy neural network model.

Accurate analysis of the strength of steel-fiber-reinforced concrete (SFRC) is important for ensuring construction quality and safety. Cube compression and splitting tensile tests of steel fiber with different varieties, lengths, and dosages were performed, and the effects of different varieties, lengths, and dosages on the compressive and splitting properties of secondary concrete were obtained. It was determined that the compression and splitting strengths of concrete could be effectively improved by the addition of end-hooked and milled steel fibers. The compressive and splitting strengths of concrete can be enhanced by increasing the fiber length and content. However, concrete also exhibits obvious uncertainty owing to the comprehensive influence of steel fiber variety, fiber length, and fiber content. In order to solve this engineering uncertainty, the traditional RBF neural network is improved by using central value and weight learning strategy especially. On this basis, the RBF fuzzy neural network prediction model of the strength of secondary steel fiber-reinforced concrete was innovatively established with the type, length and content of steel fiber as input information and the compressive strength and splitting tensile strength as output information. In order to further verify the engineering reliability of the prediction model, the compressive strength and splitting tensile strength of steel fiber reinforced concrete with rock anchor beams are predicted by the prediction model. The results show that the convergence rate of the prediction model is increased by 15%, and the error between the predicted value and the measured value is less than 10%, which is more efficient and accurate than the traditional one. Additionally, the improved model algorithm is efficient and reasonable, providing technical support for the safe construction of large-volume steel fiber concrete projects, such as rock anchor beams. The fuzzy random method can also be applied to similar engineering fields.

Review - Construction Safety Management using Deep Learning and Computer Vision

Abstract: SafeZone is a deep learning and computer vision model that is aimed at improving the safety of construction workers and reducing potential hazards at construction sites. Three aspects are taken into consideration while designing the model – whether workers are wearing safety gear, potential accident zones at the site, and check for the quality of materials given to the workers. This project is intended to automate the task of identifying lack of safety and potential hazards at construction sites and subsequent implementation of safety measures to eliminate the chance of accidents. A vast majority of industrial work-sites are often never automated - and instead, manually supervised with minor application of object-based sensor technology. The project will attempt to bridge this gap with the help of Convolutional Neural Networks - which allows for a streamlined, utilitarian and flexible suite of tools that help supervisors and on-site working personnel in keeping their heads on a swivel.

Fostering a Total Construction Safety Culture to Enhance Safety Performance in Indonesia’s New Capital City Establishment

Fostering a Total Construction Safety Culture to Enhance Safety Performance in Indonesia’s New Capital City Establishment

Prediction of water inflow and analysis of surrounding rock stability in unfavorable geological mountain tunnel

During the construction of a mountain tunnel, water inflow and rock instability are common occurrences due to unfavorable geological conditions, posing serious threats to construction safety. This study focuses on a proposed mountain tunnel and employs multiple formulas to predict potential water inflow during excavation. Based on the amount of water inflow and deformation of surrounding rocks, comprehensive determinations are made for the thickness of grouting rings and permeability coefficients. The results demonstrate that: 1) Different formulas yield slightly varied outcomes but overall trends remain consistent; considering various calculations, the normal water inflow for this tunnel is approximately 115.5908×103 m3/d with a maximum at 210.9100×103 m3/d 2) Increasing grouting ring thickness or decreasing permeability coefficient can effectively reduce water inflow, but the reduction range is gradually narrowed. 3) Pre-grouting curtains have an evident effect in enhancing stability; however, their effectiveness decreases with increased thickness. 4) Taking into account both safety and economic factors, it is recommended that the grouting ring thickness be set at 8 m with a permeability coefficient equaling one 100th that of surrounding rocks for this tunnel project.

Evaluating the Performance-Based Grading of Construction Labour in Road Project Operations Through a New Apprenticeship Framework

The main issues facing the construction industry in many nations have been poor labour performance in work operations, leading to significantly influencing the quality, safety and productivity of construction processes/outcomes. By implementing efficient apprenticeship components, this study attempts to evaluate the effectiveness/performance of labour in road project operations through a case study. With action-oriented and problem-focused communication approaches, an exhaustive academic review and expert consultations were carried out to design a collection of methods/tools/systems linked to labour apprenticeship and performance assessment inside a framework. Through a newly established site supervisory apprenticeship programme, the developed procedures were implemented with more than 100 construction labourers engaged in nine Sri Lankan road projects. The results display the specific patterns of substantial changes in labour performance levels with the quantified values, which aid in the planning and formation of crew mixes for various project jobs, as well as proactive methods for managing and controlling labour in the construction industry. The findings ensure the generalisation of the developed practices/tools/mechanisms towards the sustainability of its applications. The study further adds advanced attributes to construction supervision job roles. The study findings/outcomes can make significant impacts on the practices of other developing nations and industries.

Civil Engineering Construction Quality and Safety Management

Civil Engineering Construction Quality and Safety Management

ORGANIZATIONAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL DESIGN OF AUTOMATION SYSTEMS

Formulation of the problem. Automation in construction shows the potential to improve productivity after years of technical development and experimentation in the field. However, current research does not provide a clear understanding of exactly how this happens, as well as what contradictions and problems accompany construction automation. At the moment, the practice of using construction robotic equipment is not widespread in Ukraine, mainly due to the high costs of equipment compared to the wages of workers. However, as evidenced by European and American experience, the introduction of modern automated technologies into the construction process leads to increased productivity, improved accuracy and quality of work, and increased safety in construction. Despite the high cost of equipment and additional costs for training specialists and service personnel, as well as the limitations of its application, the use of construction robotics can have positive results, such as accelerating the pace of work, which will lead to large-scale changes in organizational and technological solutions and organizational and technological design in general. The purpose of the article is to analyze the use of modern automated systems and identify technical innovations and their practical potential. Conclusions. In order to gain a deeper understanding of the full potential of construction automation to increase productivity and the associated possible consequences, an objective review of information on automated technologies in construction was conducted. This review was carried out using text analysis techniques in publicly available written documents covering a wide range of relevant information sources, including scientific publications and official databases of equipment suppliers. The main vectors of worldwide research and existing technologies tested in practice are defined. The purpose, objects, tasks and goals of future research are defined.

Evaluating the impact of different hard hats on the peripheral vision of construction workers

Construction safety is always an issue for construction workers. Hence, personal protective equipment plays a critical role in avoiding potential hazards on construction sites. Among these, hard hats protect against head contact with falling objects on construction sites. This study aims to examine the effects of hard hats with different peak lengths on the field of view at different angles in the upward part and to examine the effects of possible field of view losses caused by the hard hat on the reaction times of the workers. A questionnaire was designed and administered to the construction workers. Experiments were then conducted with a group of subjects to assess their peripheral vision level as well as reaction times. The study found that peripheral vision is affected by the peak size of hard hats. The study further revealed that there is a significant relationship between reaction times and hard hat peak size.

The Legal Regulation of Licensing in the Saudi System

This study delves into the concept and legal nature of building permits within the Saudi regulatory framework, highlighting building permits as crucial administrative licenses. These permits allow individuals to engage in construction activities under defined rules and conditions aimed at organizing urban development and preserving the civilized character of cities and towns. The research discusses the definitions of building permits as set forth by the Saudi regulator and clarifies their legal nature as administrative decisions issued by the administrative authority to serve the public interest, demonstrating how they align with the elements of an administrative decision. The study details the conditions required for the issuance of a building permit, such as the necessity for the land to be within the urban boundary and the submission of a formal application by the owner, fulfilling all the statutory requirements and conditions. It also discusses the administrative authority's power to grant or withhold the permit and how this authority is restricted by statutory conditions to ensure a balance between private and public interests. Furthermore, the research explores the scope of application for building permits, elucidating the works requiring permits like construction, alterations, restoration, and others. It clarifies that the Saudi system encompasses all regions of the kingdom without exception under specific conditions that ensure the safety and quality of construction, considering the public interest. The study concludes by affirming the importance of building permits in regulating urban development and securing real estate rights within a legal framework that serves the public interest and promotes sustainable urban development.

Arch First and Beam Later Technology: An Accelerated and Safe Construction for Tied Arch Bridges

The Taidong River Bridge, a 115 m tied arch bridge, was opened in 2021 over the Taidong River in Jiangsu, China. Due to the significant role of the Taidong River as a crucial navigation channel for local transportation, construction activities aimed to reduce the duration of river closure. The bridge construction employed the pioneering technique of arch first and beam later without support mechanisms in the river course. This method entailed the integral hoisting of arch ribs via a floating crane, and the tied-arch bridge's longitudinal deformation was temporarily consolidated with tension during construction phases. The investigation analyzes the hoisting point layouts, arch rib limiting devices, structural system transformations implemented, as displacement, and horizontal thrust of the arch foot during the temporarily consolidated tensioning construction stage of the bridge. The research results showed that the arch first and beam later method without support construction adopted in this project demonstrated impressive compliance with the navigation standards stipulated for the Taidong River. In addition, this study proposes a method that combines mechanical calculation formulas with the Midas model to determine the position of the arch rib suspension point and provide theoretical values for temporary consolidation forces during the construction stage. The findings of this study offer valuable practical guidance that can be applied to comparable bridge projects.

Research Advancements in Swine Wastewater Treatment and Resource-Based Safe Utilization Management Technology Model Construction

Swine wastewater contains large amounts of organic matter, nutrients, toxic metal elements, and antibiotics. If it is directly discharged or not properly treated, it poses a significant threat to the environment and human health. Currently, the management of swine wastewater has become a focus of social attention, and it adopts a dual-track parallel model of standard discharge supplemented by resource utilization. If treated properly, it can achieve the recycling of water resources and promote the effective recovery of resources. Based on the pollution characteristics of swine wastewater, this paper analyzes its impact on the environment, society, and the economy in detail and expounds on the research progress of swine wastewater treatment technology. From the perspective of resource utilization and recycling of anaerobic digestion liquid (biogas slurry) from swine wastewater and the carrying capacity of the soil environment and cumulative ecological environmental risks, this study explores new development trends and application prospects for swine wastewater treatment technology.

Construction Mechanical Characteristics of TBM Pilot and Enlargement Method for Ventilation Tunnel of Wuhai Pumped Storage Power Station

Investigating the construction mechanics of a ventilation tunnel using the TBM (Tunnel Boring Machine) pilot and enlargement method with reliable rock mechanics parameters ensures the safety of on-site excavation operations. Leveraging the construction project of the ventilation tunnel at the Wuhai Pumped Storage Power Station, TGP sidewall forecasting was employed to explore the geological conditions within a 50 m range of the tunnel’s side. A systematic study of the construction mechanics of the TBM pilot and enlargement method was conducted, along with corresponding construction recommendations and engineering applications. This research indicates that sidewall forecasting can supplement the deficiencies in geological exploration reports, with excavation revealing conditions consistent with the forecast. Deformation at the interface, including the arch crown and sidewall, mainly concentrates during the construction phase from the completion of full-section excavation to the beginning of expansion. As the working face advances, the upper rock mass within the ventilation tunnel outline experiences tension, with stress concentration in the shoulder and bottom corner rock masses. The plastic zone before expansion primarily concentrates within the ventilation tunnel outline, shifting to the sidewall after expansion, with the left shoulder’s plastic zone depth slightly exceeding that of the right. The proposed method effectively ensures construction safety, and the research findings have valuable implications for similar projects.

A dynamic modeling approach to predict water inflow during tunnel excavation in relatively uniform rock masses

Karst landforms are widely distributed all over the world. With the continuous improvement of infrastructure construction, tunnelling in mountainous karst areas is inevitable. Due to the complex hydrogeological conditions in karst areas, groundwater inflow during tunnelling is usually difficult to predict and can cause huge economic losses and casualties. Therefore, finding better ways to improve the prediction of tunnel water inflow is of great significance to ensure the safety of tunnelling. In this study, three commonly used modules (CHD, DRAIN and CFPM1) in MODFLOW are selected and compared to predict the water inflow of tunnels. We find that the CFPM1 module performs better in terms of considering both tunnel size and actual water inflow dynamics during tunnel excavation, which is a continuous process rather than an instantaneous process. Secondly, we build a hypothetical case and predict the tunnel water inflows using above three different modules. We find that the CHD module yields the largest initial and stable water inflow, followed by the DRAIN module, and the CFPM1 yields the least. Besides, as the most sensitive factor in the CFPM1 module, the influence of tunnel diameter on water inflow is discussed. Finally, taking the Shizishan Tunnel as an actual field example, we compare the simulation results of different modules with the measured tunnel inflow. In general, the prediction of the CFPM1 module is the closest to the measured value, and the prediction accuracy is the highest during the conventional tunnel construction process. However, when water-saturated karst features such as underground rivers, caves or faults are exposed during tunnelling, the water level may change instantaneously, which is more consistent with the principle of CHD module. In summary, this study provides theoretical and numerical support for the safe construction of relatively uniform rock mass tunnels in karst areas.

A Detailed Comparative Analysis of You Only Look Once-Based Architectures for the Detection of Personal Protective Equipment on Construction Sites

For practitioners and researchers, construction safety is a major concern. The construction industry is among the world’s most dangerous industries, with a high number of accidents and fatalities. Workers in the construction industry are still exposed to safety risks even after conducting risk assessments. The use of personal protective equipment (PPE) is essential to help reduce the risks to laborers and engineers on construction sites. Developments in the field of computer vision and data analytics, especially using deep learning algorithms, have the potential to address this challenge in construction. This study developed several models to enhance the safety compliance of construction workers with respect to PPE. Through the utilization of convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and the application of transfer learning principles, this study builds upon the foundational YOLO-v5 and YOLO-v8 architectures. The resultant model excels in predicting six key categories: person, vest, and four helmet colors. The developed model is validated using a high-quality CHV benchmark dataset from the literature. The dataset is composed of 1330 images and manages to account for a real construction site background, different gestures, varied angles and distances, and multi-PPE. Consequently, the comparison among the ten models of YOLO-v5 (You Only Look Once) and five models of YOLO-v8 showed that YOLO-v5x6’s running speed in analysis was faster than that of YOLO-v5l; however, YOLO-v8m stands out for its higher precision and accuracy. Furthermore, YOLOv8m has the best mean average precision (mAP), with a score of 92.30%, and the best F1 score, at 0.89. Significantly, the attained mAP reflects a substantial 6.64% advancement over previous related research studies. Accordingly, the proposed research has the capability of reducing and preventing construction accidents that can result in death or serious injury.

Data-Driven Dynamic Bayesian Network Model for Safety Resilience Evaluation of Prefabricated Building Construction

Due to factors such as the availability of assembly equipment, technology, and site management level, prefabricated building construction safety accidents often occur. To ensure the safety of prefabricated buildings and effectively reduce the accident rate, the concept of resilience is introduced into the safety management of prefabricated buildings. Based on the resilience absorption capacity, adaptation capacity, recovery capacity, and optimization capacity, a comprehensive evaluation index system for the safety resilience of prefabricated buildings is established. By combining prior knowledge with structural learning and parameter learning, a dynamic Bayesian network (DBN) model is constructed to dynamically evaluate the safety resilience of prefabricated buildings. Through forward causal reasoning and backward diagnostic reasoning, the dynamic safety resilience value of prefabricated buildings and the chain of maximum failure causes are obtained. Finally, by conducting a sensitivity analysis on the target nodes, the key influencing factors of the safety resilience of prefabricated construction are identified, and improvement suggestions for enhancing resilience are proposed. The results indicate that establishing a resilience safety culture, preventing unsafe behaviors of personnel, safety management, and supervision on the construction site, emergency management actions, and building a risk management information system are crucial factors influencing the safety resilience of prefabricated buildings. The enhancement of absorption capacity has the greatest impact on the safety resilience of prefabricated buildings.