Investigation of health and safety impact from the 'Site BIM' tools in the live construction sites

Abstract

Construction in the UK is the second most dangerous industry in terms of fatal and minor injuries according to the 2014 report of HSE. The use of mobile devices such as iPad, Tablets and Smart phones on the live construction projects is also on the increase in the UK due to the 2016 -Level 2 BIM (Building Information Modelling) implementation target, set by the UK Government. Hence, the use of such devices may become a distraction from work activities on the construction sites and will cause a major risk to the end users. The subject of improving safety of BIM use is widely researched, but there is a gap in knowledge about the actual use of the mobile devices and perception of 'Site BIM', on the construction site activities. The main gap identified in the 'Site BIM' is the health and safety aspect of using such devices on the construction sites. A safer way of working with such devices needs to be identified to avoid any potential site hazards and fatalities before the widespread use of the devices are found on the construction projects. In that context, the paper is aimed to highlight the safety issues that are required to address for the successful implementation of the mobile devices for safer use of the 'Site BIM'. Questionnaire survey was used to collect the site information among construction professionals in the UK. The survey findings suggested that a proactive approach may be helpful to stop potential hazards and risks causing by the use of mobile devices and potential measures need to be identified before any injuries and incidents occur. The paper concludes that training, changing size of mobile devices and ensuring a separate induction training for 'Site BIM' tools will improve the health and safety of the end users of the mobile devices at the live construction sites.