Development of a Digital Twin Model for Real-Time Assessment of Collision Hazards

Abstract

The AEC industry is nowadays one of the most hazardous industries in the world. The construction sector employees about 7% of the world's work force but is responsible for 30-40% of fatalities. As statistics demonstrate, interferences between workers-on-foot and moving vehicles have caused several injuries and fatalities over the years. Despite safety organizational measures, passive safety devices imposed by regulations and efforts from training procedures, scarce improvements have been recorded. Recent research studies propose technology driven approaches as the key solutions to integrate standard health and safety management practices. This is motivated by the evidence that the dynamics of complex systems can hardly be predicted; rather a proactive approach to health and safety is more effective. Current technologies installed on construction equipment can usually react according to a strict logic, such as sending proximity alerts when workers and equipment are too close. Nevertheless, these approaches barely do make informed decisions in real-time, e.g. including the level of reactiveness of the endangered worker. In similar circumstances a digital twin of the construction site, updated by real-time data from sensors and enriched by artificial intelligence, can pro-actively support activities, forecasting dangerous scenarios on the base of several factors. In this paper a laboratory mock-up has been assumed as the test case, supported by a game engine, which is able to replicates the job site for the execution of bored piles. In such a scenario populated by an avatar of a sensor-equipped worker and a virtual driller, a Bayesian network, implemented within the game engine and fed in runtime by sensor data, works out collision probability in real-time in order to send warnings and avoid fatal accidents.

Enhancing Safety on Construction Sites: A UWB-Based Proximity Warning System Ensuring GDPR Compliance to Prevent Collision Hazards

“…Maintaining the appropriate level of situation awareness, which is critical to safety, is therefore a challenge [ 11 ]. Within the context just described, collision accidents involving operators and moving construction vehicles are one of the main safety issues in construction workplaces, being one of the leading causes of non-fatal accidents and one of the most frequent causes of death on construction sites internationally [ 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 ]. The dynamic characteristics of construction site activities may be the cause of collision accidents, with construction resources often moving in situations of excessive proximity [ 8 ].…”

“…Inadequate analysis of spatial interferences in the design of construction site layouts often results in construction site spaces that are, at least temporarily, inadequate for the safe conduct of operations [ 17 , 18 ]. In addition, other factors can be identified that increase the likelihood of workers becoming victims of collision accidents: for example, the possible loss of concentration in performing daily activities due to fatigue and repetitive tasks, and the reduced visibility of construction vehicle operators due to blind spots [ 8 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 ]. Statistics, in fact, often highlight how collision fatalities can be caused by the failure of the operator to check the position of workers in the manoeuvring area, leaving workers undetected in blind spots or too close to moving vehicles [ 15 ].…”

“…In this sense, previous studies have discussed the possibility of providing workers with real-time alerts and warnings of potential hazards. The development and use of proximity warning systems (PWSs) has been investigated as a way of identifying hazardous situations on a construction site, improving worker safety and helping to prevent construction injuries, e.g., [ 12 , 13 , 14 , 19 ].…”