Umberto C. Gatti

Data Fusion of Real-Time Location Sensing and Physiological Status Monitoring for Ergonomics Analysis of Construction Workers

AbstractPrevious research and applications in construction resource optimization have focused on tracking the location of material and equipment. There is a lack of studies on remote monitoring for improving safety and health of the construction workforce. This paper presents a new approach for monitoring ergonomically safe and unsafe behavior of construction workers. The study relies on a methodology that utilizes fusion of data from continuous remote monitoring of construction workers’ location and physiological status. To monitor construction workers activities, the authors deployed nonintrusive real-time worker location sensing (RTLS) and physiological status monitoring (PSM) technology. This paper presents the background and need for a data fusion approach, the framework, the test bed environment, and results to some case studies that were used to automatically identify unhealthy work behavior. Results of this study suggest a new approach for automating remote monitoring of construction workers safet...

An exploratory study of the relationship between construction workforce physical strain and task level productivity

The monitoring of construction workforce physical strain can be a valuable management strategy in improving workforce productivity, safety, health, and quality of work. Nevertheless, clear relationships between workforce performance and physical strain have yet to be established. An exploratory investigation of the relationship between task level productivity and physical strain was conducted. Nine participants individually performed a four-hour simulated construction task while a wearable physiological status monitor continuously assessed their physiological condition. Heart rate, relative heart rate, and breathing rate were utilized as predictors of physical strain, and task level–single factor productivity was used as an index of productivity. Numerous regression models were generated using the collected data. This investigation initially unsuccessfully attempted to establish a relationship between physiological condition and productivity at the individual worker level. However, an analysis of the regression models showed that there is a relationship between productivity and either heart rate or relative heart rate at the group level, and that this relationship is parabolic. Breathing rate was proved to not be a significant predictor of productivity. Research results significantly improve understanding of the relationship between work physiology and task productivity. Researchers and practitioners may use the tested monitoring devices, analysis methods, and results to design further applied studies and to improve workforce productivity.

Wearable Physiological Status Monitors for Measuring and Evaluating Workers' Physical Strain: Preliminary Validation

Construction activities are usually physically demanding and performed in ubiquitous, highly variable, and, often harsh environments. Excessive physical strain affects productivity, inattentiveness, and accidents. Therefore, a monitoring system able to assess workers’ physical strain may be an important step towards better safety and productivity management. Previous efforts to assess construction workers’ physical demand relied on instrumentation that hindered workers’ activities. However, worker’s physical strain can now be monitored by recently-introduced, non-intrusive Physiological Status Monitors (PSMs). We have investigated three PSMs to assess if they can effectively monitor a person during activities similar to construction workforce’s dynamic activities. Comparing PSMs’ and standard laboratory instruments’ measurements, we found that two of the selected PSMs are mostly reliable and accurate. These preliminary results demonstrate the PSMs’ effectiveness in monitoring subjects during dynamic activities and show promise that they can be successfully implemented to monitor construction workers’ physical strain.

Automatic Identification of Unsafe Bending Behavior of Construction Workers using Real-time Location Sensing and Physiological Status Monitoring

Nowadays, remote sensing technology allows for autonomous and remote data collection of construction resources. Data collected from various sources can be used to infer higher-level information about the entities being observed. This process, called data fusion, has been used in construction for tracking the location of material and equipment with a lack of studies on the use of data fusion for improving knowledge of workforce. This study explored the utilization of a data fusion approach for a continuous remote monitoring of construction workers’ location and health. To this end, the authors deployed non-intrusive real-time worker location sensing (RTLS) and physiological status monitoring (PSM) technology, and later, used data fusion to analyze data from these devices.

ASSESSING PHYSICAL STRAIN IN CONSTRUCTION WORKFORCE: A FIRST STEP FOR IMPROVING SAFETY AND PRODUCTIVITY MANAGEMENT

Safety issues impact construction workforce and industry, for example by generating extra costs and delays. Achieving planned levels of productivity is crucial for the overall success of a construction project. Despite improvements in equipment and workplace ergonomics, the construction industry is still characterized by physically demanding activities and stressful environments. Excessive physical strain on the workers leads to decreased productivity, inattentiveness, poor quality work, accidents, and injuries. Therefore, a Physical Demand Monitoring System (PDMS) able to assess physical strain through a combined analysis of workers’ physiological parameters (e.g., heart rate) and environmental conditions (e.g., temperature) may be an important step towards better safety and productivity management. In previous studies of physiological demands in construction the instrumentation hindered the workers’ activities. However, now less invasive technologies are available for this purpose. The scope of this project is to establish the framework of a PDMS able to operate in real construction situations.

Guide for Design Management on Design-Build and Construction Manager/General Contractor Projects

While the traditional design-bid-build (DBB) approach to project delivery remains prevalent among state departments of transportation (DOTs) and other owners of transportation facilities, some agencies have been selectively adopting alternative delivery methods that increase collaboration among the owner, designer, and constructor. Under the design-build (D-B) process, for example, the designer and constructor act as a unified team to deliver a completed project at a set price. Under a construction manager-at-risk (CMR) process, designer and constructor are engaged separately by the owner (as is the case under DBB), but the constructor is involved from the earliest stages of the design process; the designer and constructor are expected to work collaboratively to deliver a project that meets the owner’s requirements. Some agencies have adopted the term Construction Manager/ General Contractor (CM/GC) for a method that is generally similar to CMR but has more effectively facilitated the reallocation of risk among owner, constructor, and designer; and does not restrict the primary contractor’s performance of work tasks. (As used in this research, CM/GC was understood to include CMR.) Experience has shown that agency policies used to develop and administer traditional design contracts (that is, under DBB) are inadequate for these alternative delivery methods. The objective of this project was to develop a guide to effective design-management practices for owners using CM/GC or D-B. The research team reviewed recent experiences of DOTs and other public agencies regarding design management practices used on projects developed under CM/GC, D-B, and similar methods for project delivery. The team also investigated relevant experience from other construction industry segments. Considering such issues as liability and responsibility in CM/GC and D-B project development and measures of effectiveness for design management, the team developed a framework characterizing principal areas where owners’ design management practices under CM/GC and D-B project delivery processes are likely to influence project success and specific guidance for successful design management. The product is a guidebook for state DOTs and other transportation agencies on design management under CM/GC and D-B project delivery. The guidance is supplemented by case studies of projects successfully developed by several DOTs. This document is written to assist agency staff responsible for management oversight of facilities developed using CM/ GC and D-B and other such alternative procurement strategies.

Using Wearable Physiological Status Monitors for Analyzing the Physical Strain-Productivity Relationship for Construction Tasks

Anecdotal evidence suggests that physical strain may negatively affect workforce productivity and safety performance. Thus, an effective management of construction workforce physical strain could be very beneficial in improving construction productivity and safety. However, clear relationships between physical strain, safety, and productivity have yet to be established because of limitations in data collection procedures and technologies. This research has utilized recent innovations in sensing and communication technology to investigate the physical strain vs. productivity relationship. Data collected by physiological status monitors were analyzed through regression analysis that adopted heart rate as predictor of physical strain. Productivity and heart rate data of seven subjects performing a fourhour, simulated construction task were collected. The analysis showed that heart rate is a significant predictor with a strong parabolic relationship with productivity. Therefore, this research provided evidence of the physical strain vs. productivity relationship and, for the first time, proposed a mathematical formulation of such a relationship.

Design Management in Design-Build Megaprojects: SR 99 Bored Tunnel Case Study

AbstractThe increasing use of the design-build project delivery method has resulted in it now being one of the most popular nontraditional methods for delivering road, bridge, mass transit, and rail projects in the United States. However, although the use of design-build is widespread, there remains a substantial lack of information about how to effectively plan and implement design management procedures for design-build transportation projects. In particular, transportation agencies lack information about how to shape appropriate design management roles for various contractual parties and to manage design activities for design-build megaprojects. To fill this gap, this paper presents a case study of the SR 99 Bored Tunnel project in Seattle, Washington. It provides detailed information on how the owner, the Washington State DOT (WSDOT), incorporated design management procedures into its requirements and how the design-builder, Seattle Tunnel Partners, implemented them within its project management processes.

Using Workforce’s Physiological Strain Monitoring to Enhance Social Sustainability of Construction

AbstractSustainability is often described in terms of the triple bottom line, which refers to its environmental, economic, and social dimensions. However, the economic and environmental impacts of decisions have been easier to determine than have been the social impacts. One area of social sustainability that is particularly applicable to construction projects is that of construction workforce safety and well-being. This is a critical part of sustainability, and a socially sustainable construction industry needs to consider the safety and well-being of construction workers. However, construction activities are generally physically demanding and performed in harsh environments. Monitoring workers’ physical strain may be an important step toward enhancing the social sustainability of construction. Recently introduced physiological status monitors (PSMs) have overcome the past limitations, allowing physical strain to be monitored without hindering workers’ activities. Three commercially available PSMs have b...

Remote Construction Worker Location, Activity and Safety Monitoring

Data fusion can be defined as a process for integrating information from multiple and heterogeneous sources to obtain a composite and augmented inference about the state of an entity. Data fusion has been successfully applied in several fields. Its usefulness is becoming evident for the enhancement of automated and remote monitoring systems of construction sites. Current technology allows the development of integrated systems able to autonomously and remotely document and track work site operations. Applications have so far focused on tracking material and equipment. Little work has been done on continuous remote monitoring of construction workers. This paper addresses the benefits and limitations of two remote sensing technologies: Physiological Status Monitors (PSMs) and Ultra Wide Band (UWB) systems, which allow real-time tracking of construction workers’ location and physiological status. The scope of this paper is to evaluate the possibility of fusing data from a PSM and an UWB system to obtain an augmented knowledge of workers’ status and so compensate for existing limitations. Thus, the research team is developing and testing an algorithm that is able to process the collected data to establish the position, the activity, and the safety behavior of the monitored subjects during simulated construction tasks.