The International Association for Automation and Robotics in Construction
Publications / 2018 Proceedings of the 35th ISARC, Berlin, Germany
Predictive Analytics for Close Calls in Construction Safety
Extracting knowledge from data on near hits (aka. close calls) might warrant better understanding on the root causes that lead to such incidents and eliminate them early in the risk mitigation process. While a close call is a subtle event where workers are in close proximity to a hazard, its frequency dependsamongst other factorson poor site layout, a workers willingness to take risks, limited safety education, and pure coincidence. While existing predictive analytics research targets change at strategic levels in the hierarchy of organizations, personalized feedback to strengthen an individual workers hazard recognition and avoidance skill set is yet missing. This study tackles the bottom of Heinrichs safety pyramid by providing an in-depth quantitative analysis of close calls. Modern positioning technology records trajectory data, whereas computational algorithms automatically generate previously unavailable details to close call events. The derived information is embedded in simplified geometric information models that users on a construction site can retrieve, easily understand, and adapt in existing preventative hazard recognition and control processes. Results from scientific and field experiments demonstrate that the developed system works successfully under the constraints of currently available positioning technology.