-Digital transformation is an ongoing challenge in construction. Whereas central storage and planning with Building Information Modeling (BIM) can be considered state-of-the-art, the integration of realtime data like environmental and localization data of workers in indoor work environments can provide further benefits for operations management in construction and facility management. This paper introduces the concept of permanent availability of up-to-date actual performance data sets through an Internet-of-Things (IoT) approach that integrates environmental and localization data in a cloud-based BIM platform. In this paper, we reflect on the usage of Internet of Things (IoT) technology and the lean and injury-free (LIFE) construction management approach, create a concept to implement the topics in existing systems, design and create a prototypical application, validate the prototype in field-typical work settings, and critically review the results.
Injuries and fatalities resulting from workplace accidents remain a global concern within the construction industry. While education and training of personnel offer well known approaches for establishing a safe work environment, Serious Games in Virtual Reality (VR) is being increasingly investigated as a complementary approach for learning. They yet have to take full advantage of the inherent data that can be collected about players. This research presents a novel approach for the automated assessment of players' data. The proposed method gathers and processes the data within a serious game for instant personalized feedback. The application focuses on close calls and contact collisions between construction workers and hazards like equipment, harmful substances, or restricted work zones. The results demonstrate the benefits and limitations of safety information previously unavailable, or very hard or impossible to collect. An outlook presents work ahead for practical implementation in existing risk management processes.
Purpose
Accidents resulting from poorly planned or setup work environments are a major concern within the construction industry. While traditional education and training of personnel offer well-known approaches for establishing safe work practices, serious games in virtual reality (VR) are increasingly being used as a complementary approach for active learning experiences. By taking full advantage of data collection and the interactions possible in the virtual environment, the education and training of construction personnel improves by using non-biased feedback and immersion.
Design/methodology/approach
This research presents a framework for the generation and automated assessment of VR data. The proposed approach is tested and evaluated in a virtual work environment consisting of multiple hazards. VR requires expensive hardware, technical knowledge and user acceptance to run the games effectively. An effort has been made to transfer the advantages VR gives to a physical setup. This is done using a light detection and ranging sensing system, which collects similar data and enables the same learning experiences.
Findings
Encouraging results on the participants’ experiences are presented and discussed based on actual needs in the Danish construction industry. An outlook presents future avenues towards enhancing existing learning methods.
Practical implications
The proposed method will help develop active learning environments, which could lead to safer construction work stations in the future, either through VR or physical simulations.
Originality/value
The utilization of run-time data collection and automatic analysis allows for better personalized feedback in the construction safety training. Furthermore, this study investigates the possibility of transferring the benefits of this system to a physical setup that is easier to use on construction sites without investing in a full VR setup.
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