Enhancing Construction Safety with BIM Technologies

The construction industry is no stranger to tools: Even ancient civilizations developed mallets and axes to make their work easier. Today’s latest tools look different, but they can be as instrumental in supporting progress in construction projects.

Construction technology can help drive efficiency and support better project outcomes. That includes the outcomes for the workers on the job and the companies responsible for them. Since construction is the second-most fatal industry per data from the National Safety Council, this is a pressing matter. 

Fortunately, deploying the right tools on the project can make a big difference for construction safety. This article focuses on how one specific tool — building information modeling (BIM) — can enhance safety throughout the project’s lifecycle.  

Building Safety Into Design

BIM becomes a safety tool from the moment the 3D model of the project gets created. In the virtual space, stakeholders can evaluate potential safety risks. 

BIM, for example, is widely used for clash detection. With this effective spatial coordination measure, designers and engineers can identify potential conflicts and check for constructibility. This, in turn, prevents rework. And since rework increases the risk of accidents, this kind of thorough planning keeps jobsites safer. 

Modeling gets particularly useful for building in safety if the design team, general contractor (GC) and specialty contractors collaborate on a federated model. The more information the model contains, the better it mimics what will actually happen on the jobsite. Collaborating in this way allows stakeholders to plan for the required safety practices. 

The model can also be a useful way for safety experts to identify hazards early. Much like the way that safety professional might walk the jobsite on a safety tour, they can “walk” through the 3D model. 

This virtual safety tour allows them to best visualize the space, flagging and planning for potential risks. That can be particularly useful when the safety professional doesn’t have the engineering background that would enable them to picture the build in their mind based on 2D drawings. The 3D simulation of the project creates a valuable way to visualize the job and proactively manage any areas of concern. 

In short, as a visualization tool, BIM enhances construction safety by allowing the project to come alive for all stakeholders. Because they can see the build as stipulated by the current drawings and specifications, they can identify and proactively plan to manage safety concerns. 

Using BIM for Safety on the Job

Building information modeling shouldn’t be confined to a company’s virtual design and construction (VDC) team in the office. It gets even more useful as a safety tool when it’s deployed in the field. 

When workers on the jobsite can access and leverage the model, it yields safety-enhancing benefits like:

Stronger On-site Coordination

A lack of clarity introduces hazards. Even if teams spent extensive time planning for safety during pre-construction, that can all fall by the wayside if the people on the job deviate from the expected workflow.

BIM helps to support coordination, keeping everyone on the same page with a single source of truth: the model. Because it can clear up questions and show how different teams should work together, it aligns everyone on the jobsite. This helps to reduce the risk of accidents due to miscommunications or mistakes. 

Flagging of Hazards

The model can — and should — include metadata attached to hazards. This way, when someone in the field engages with the model, they can see safety information pertinent to the area on which they’re working. Clicking into an area of the model might pull up an alert about an applicable blind spot, for example. 

Combining with Augmented Reality

If the BIM model gets deployed through augmented reality (AR), its safety support gets particularly powerful. AR can overlay safety information on the user’s real-world view. This can work, for example, through a headset or a device that takes in the real world through a camera and shows that plus the AR view on the screen. In this way, areas of concern can get flagged for workers in a noticeable way. 

Prefabrication

With a model in place, teams can reliably prefabricate elements and trust that they will fit when brought to the jobsite. Creating components and systems offsite in a controlled environment helps to reduce hazards. This kind of work can also eliminate certain risks. Prefabricating ductwork on the floor of a shop rather than in the ceiling where it will eventually be installed, for example, eliminates fall risks. Additionally, prefabricated elements can be tested to confirm that they’re safe before installation. 

Real-time Alerts

Deploying BIM alongside other technology can further boost safety on the jobsite. Sensors can check for unsafe air quality, for example, or excess noise. The model tells teams where to best place supporting technology to optimally protect the workforce. 

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Gathering Data to Create a Culture of Safety

When used well, BIM should notably increase safety on construction sites, reducing the number of accidents that occur. But it’s also a useful tool when incidents do happen. 

The model can make it easier to collect data about what went wrong, particularly when information from safety inspections is tied to that model. By analyzing the data, teams can work to prevent similar future incidents. 

Continually gathering and analyzing data from accidents allows companies to identify trends and common missteps, too. In this way, they can build best practices that directly respond to the biggest threats their workforce faces. 

Better still, taking steps to make sure incidents don’t happen again should help individual team members feel protected. Construction isn’t just a risky industry because of its high incidence of accidents, including fatalities. Creating safer workspaces can alleviate some of the strain on today’s construction professionals. This can also directly combat some of the mental health challenges that are common across the construction industry. It also has the second-highest suicide rate of any industry, per data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

The 3D visualization that building information modeling yields has a number of safety-enhancing usages. Companies can leverage the model to identify and mitigate risks before construction, support their teams with it on the jobsite, and use it to create better safety practices that they carry forward. That concerted effort to create a safer workspace supports better well-being for staff and a healthier company culture overall. Plus, by limiting liability and reducing rework, it helps protect the company’s bottom line.

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