Performance of barrier systems and functions in the construction industry.

Objectives. Improving knowledge about the mechanism of accident occurrence in the construction industry provides important information to help design and implement appropriate barriers to stop the spread of unexpected events. This study characterizes the sequence of accidents in the construction industry by linking the most commonly identified circumstances, the barriers and barrier functions infringed and the specific way in which each of these functioned. Methods. In order to achieve the proposed objective, an analysis was made of 241 investigations of work accidents that occurred in the construction sector in Spain between 2009 and 2014. The statistical difference between the groups of variables was determined using contingency tables in which the value of the χ2 statistic was calculated. Results. The results obtained show that behavioural factors are fundamentally identified, such as the worker's non-observance of ensuring their own safety or the deficient interpretation of rules. Conclusions. This study illustrates that to understand the performance of barrier systems and functions, efforts must be focused not only on the things that go wrong, i.e., accidents, but also on the things that go right within the variability of daily performance in systems as complex as the construction industry.

An analysis of occupational accidents involving national and international construction workers in Spain using the association rule technique.

Worker safety awareness on construction sites is a major concern due to the hazardous work conditions. Additionally, globalization is increasing the cultural diversity of the workforce and this influences workers' attitudes, beliefs and behaviour. The growing number of migrant workers in this sector has become a distinctive feature of the industry's labour market. The objective of this article is to analyse occupational accidents that occurred on Spanish construction sites while taking into consideration the nationality of the workers. Due to the large number of accidents and attributes associated with them, the use of association rules is proposed. Overall, results evince similar behaviour, although interesting differences can be observed regarding the occupation of workers. In addition, the results are in accordance with previous studies carried out in other countries. The analysis of these accidents will serve to establish initiatives that provide safer work environments.

An Internet of Things and Fuzzy Markup Language Based Approach to Prevent the Risk of Falling Object Accidents in the Execution Phase of Construction Projects.

The Internet of Things (IoT) paradigm is establishing itself as a technology to improve data acquisition and information management in the construction field. It is consolidating as an emerging technology in all phases of the life cycle of projects and specifically in the execution phase of a construction project. One of the fundamental tasks in this phase is related to Health and Safety Management since the accident rate in this sector is very high compared to other phases or even sectors. For example, one of the most critical risks is falling objects due to the peculiarities of the construction process. Therefore, the integration of both technology and safety expert knowledge in this task is a key issue including ubiquitous computing, real-time decision capacity and expert knowledge management from risks with imprecise data. Starting from this vision, the goal of this paper is to introduce an IoT infrastructure integrated with JFML, an open-source library for Fuzzy Logic Systems according to the IEEE Std 1855-2016, to support imprecise experts' decision making in facing the risk of falling objects. The system advises the worker of the risk level of accidents in real-time employing a smart wristband. The proposed IoT infrastructure has been tested in three different scenarios involving habitual working situations and characterized by different levels of falling objects risk. As assessed by an expert panel, the proposed system shows suitable results.

Management of Occupational Risk Prevention of Nanomaterials Manufactured in Construction Sites in the EU.

Currently, nanotechnology plays a key role for technological innovation, including the construction sector. An exponential increase is expected in its application, although this has been hampered by the current degree of uncertainty regarding the potential effects of nanomaterials on both human health and the environment. The accidents, illnesses, and disease related to the use of nanoproducts in the construction sector are difficult to identify. For this purpose, this work analyzes in depth the products included in recognized inventories and the safety data sheets of these construction products. Based on this analysis, a review of the recommendations on the use of manufactured nanomaterials at construction sites is performed. Finally, a protocol is proposed with the aim of it serving as a tool for technicians in decision-making management at construction sites related to the use of manufactured nanomaterials. This proposed protocol should be an adaptive and flexible tool while the manufactured nanomaterials-based work continues to be considered as an "emerging risk," despite the expectation that the protocol will be useful for the development of new laws and recommendations for occupational risk prevention management.