INNOVATIVE INTEGRATION OF MODERN TECHNOLOGIES FOR HEALTH AND SAFETY DECISION MAKING IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

Abstract

Health and Safety (H&S) has been one of the key issues in the design and implementation of projects within the construction sector. At the design stage of a project, usually designers are accused of failing to appreciate most of the construction processes that will optimise safety and minimise cost. Therefore, clients and other stakeholders are apprehensive as to whether the designer’s input should be fully integrated through other known ways. Also, within a continuation in the downstream end (i.e., construction and facilities management) professional processes used are not fully appreciated by designers. As such these sets of practitioners need to learn fully from each other and integrate their knowledge and skills to close the existing knowledge gap among practitioners. Modern technological innovations have given us new ways of understanding and finding solutions to such existing problems with most professionals working in a collaborative way. Such collaborative ways can enhance learning and cross pollination of professionals within an organisation and across organisations. However, the evidence through data collection is not captured across projects. This conceptual paper aims to integrate modern Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other software applications (such as BIM, IoT, and Digital Twins) to be used within the construction industry setting to understand and augment the learning of all practitioners. An exploratory qualitative research approach through literature review is used in the development of the conceptual framework for the implementation of H&S management that will inform future detailed developments of this proposed innovative approach.