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.

Barriers to achieving satisfactory dropped objects safety performance in the UK construction sector.

In 1980 a deadly explosion occurred at a nuclear missile base precipitated by a dropped object. The potential for major catastrophe, an industry call to action and a research gap forms the rationale for this research into dropped objects. The aim of the research was to devise guidance to assist United Kingdom (UK) based construction sector companies to reduce the frequency of dropped object incidents. A mixed research approach that includes literature review, semi-structured interviews and case studies were used to achieve the purpose of this research. The trend data revealed that dropped object incident rates have remained flat in recent years. The quantitative incident reports and qualitative feedback from interviews concluded that design is a contributory factor in a significant number of incidents and possibly in many cases but more research with a larger quantitative research sample is required. The interviews and literature review revealed several useful recommendations to sector bodies, construction sector companies and for further academic research. Recommendations to Individual Construction Sector Companies are grouped into different themes including manage, eliminate and control. The main recommendations to regulators included ensuring that tool tethering and containers are marked and inspected in line with other lifting equipment. Industry bodies could consider liaising with the energy industry to develop a suitable general construction exclusion zone calculator. Initiatives to improve the design of Mast Climbing Work Platforms to provide integral storage and enclosure solutions could be initiated with the vendors of this equipment. Practitioners and companies could consider offsite construction as a strategic means to reduce the number of dropped objects and consider work scopes that could be executed at ground level rather than at height. Consideration could be given to the more commonly deployed off-site fabrication options such as façade panels and bathroom pods. During detailed design, companies could have a high focus on the mechanism of reducing fixings in facades using Building Information Modelling. There are a number of areas which can be investigated further such as the implications of offsite construction on dropped objects accidents when compared with traditional methods. The research findings hint that Business Information Modelling might be a useful tool to reduce dropped objects on construction sites especially related to facades. While there were several limitations of the research including a limited amount of quantitative data and availability of the specific interview group, the findings of the research will still be useful for the construction sector in the UK and overseas to improve safety performance in construction.

Tractors, Trees, and Rollover Protective Structures: A Cause for Concern.

Injury and fatality events that are caused by tree work and tractor-related activities contribute to the already elevated rates of work-related injuries in the agriculture and logging sectors. This brief report highlights the circumstances surrounding these events, as well as a number of surveillance sources that identify the extent to which they contribute to the injury burden in these hazardous industries. These data sources include fatality investigations, agricultural injury news reports, consumer product injury data captured from emergency rooms and near-miss reporting data captured from individuals participating in the National Rollover Protective Structure Rebate Program (NRRP). Several recommendations for further research and interventional efforts are outlined, with particular consideration of the manner in which rollbars have been involved in falling object incidents.

Hospital admissions in the Hunter Region from trees and other falling objects, 2008-2012.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact on hospital admissions produced by trees and other falling objects, to examine these accidents' circumstances, and to investigate the degree of support provided by the data for tree-related accident prevention. METHODS: Admissions to emergency departments in the Hunter Region for the period 2008-2012 allocated the International Classification of Disease 10 code W20 (struck by falling object) were analysed. RESULTS: Of 620 admissions, 125 files were incorrectly coded leaving an eligible sample of 495 W20 admissions. Males made up 79.4% of admissions. Where recorded, the commonest accident locations were workplaces (63.2%) and homes (31.5%). Trees/branches caused only 24 (4.8%) of such accidents with an age-adjusted admission rate of 0.28 per 10,000 people compared with 6.84 per 10,000 for all falling objects combined. Most tree-related admissions (at least 62.5%) occurred to persons actively interacting with the tree. Being male (p=0.04) and living in an outer regional area (p=0.001) increased the incidence of tree injuries. CONCLUSIONS: Hospital admissions caused by falling objects especially trees are uncommon. Implications for public health: It is difficult to justify any major health promotion expenditure to reduce tree-related accidents, given their especial rarity. Any funds allocated should focus on preventing falling object injuries in workplaces and homes.