Worker Safety In Confined Spaces Using Emerging Technologies

Abstract

Acquisition of sensor data from the field is essential not only for ensuring reliable building operations but can also help in dynamic management of various tasks which are associated with H&S. An important aspect of H&S management in a building or a construction site is to monitor and control the potential risks associated with worker safety. Within the construction industry, accident statistics indicate that there are fatalities as well as serious injuries in confined spaces due to exposure to hazardous environment. A review of international safety regulations suggest that lack of oxygen and temperature extremes contribute to make these work environment hazardous in confined places. Building Information Modeling (BIM) offers a new epitome to provide comprehensive solutions for H&S and evacuation planning in confined spaces. It has the potential to provide improved visualization for effective monitoring of confined spaces on construction sites. Researchers around the globe have presented hybrid solutions for integrating different sensing technologies with BIM such as Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags, Ultra High Frequency (UHF) Readers and Sensors. A review and critical evaluation of literature on integrated solutions of BIM with various sensing technologies is performed in order to present a hybrid solution based on BIM and Wireless Sensors Networks (WSNs) along with a notification system for confined spaces. The application, entitled CoSMoS, deals with acquisition and presentation of data received from wireless sensors placed at confined spaces in a building or a construction site. The proposed solution will help safety managers to monitor confined spaces through real-time sensor data to avoid time sensitive emergency situations in confined spaces.