Applying Physiological Status Monitoring in Improving Construction Safety Management

A variety of research has highlighted the importance of improving safety in the construction industry. Due to the attributes of construction activities (e.g., inappropriate shiftwork and schedules) and sites (e.g., darkness, narrowness), human errors frequently cause construction accidents, especially when construction workers suffer from mental and/or physical fatigue. To address this problem, this study proposes an approach based on Physiological Status Monitoring (PSM). By detecting brain wave rhythms and Heart Rate Variability (HRV) of workers, the proposed approach could analyze fatigue levels. After identifying risks of fatigue, the proposed approach notifies the fatigued workers as well as transfers relevant statistics to construction managers. The managers, therefore, are able to supervise their workers in real time. Given the results of on-site tests, construction safety management is enhanced, while the construction accidents caused by mentally and/or physically fatigued workers are circumvented as quickly as possible. Consequently, this study is a useful reference for similar applications in many countries.