Development of a safety inspection framework on construction sites using mobile computing

Abstract

Site safety inspection is an essential task to ensure that construction operations are carried out in a safe manner, in accordance with relevant health and safety policies and standards of a particular jurisdiction. It is also critical to the smooth execution, monitoring, and controlling of construction activities. The evidence gathered from construction experts as well as from previous studies suggests that the efficiency and effectiveness of current inspection processes are less than satisfactory. This paper reports an Australian research project that develops an innovative safety inspection approach to incorporate mobile computing technologies into safety inspection processes in order to facilitate more effective data collection, processing, and control practices. The paper also discusses the interview results of safety practitioners about the proposed inspection approach. The approach was implemented through the development and test of a prototype mobile inspection tool. The feasibility and usefulness of the tool was evaluated and recognized by industry practitioners. The results show that the developed approach and tool have the potential to improve safety inspection performance on construction sites as well as enhance the integration of safety management systems. The research efforts will also enrich the current knowledge on construction safety.