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.

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.