Theses and Dissertations - Department of Civil, Construction & Environmental Engineering

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Browsing Theses and Dissertations - Department of Civil, Construction & Environmental Engineering by Author "Awolusi, Ibukun Gabriel"

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    Active construction safety leading indicator data collection and evaluation
    (University of Alabama Libraries, 2017) Awolusi, Ibukun Gabriel; Batson, Robert G.; Marks, Eric D.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
    The construction industry continues to experience an increased rate of workplace injuries and fatalities when compared to other U.S. industrial sectors. Construction workers often face safety and health risks throughout the construction process because of these dangerous working environments. Current safety practices, which are largely passive in nature, have not yielded the desired optimum results. Further improvements are necessary to enhance construction safety through the implementation of proactive safety strategies. This research seeks to evaluate how construction safety performance can be enhanced during the construction phase through the application of active construction safety leading indicators and sensing technologies. A near miss data collection and analysis framework is created and implemented for the management of safety leading indicator information. An objective evaluation of wearable technology systems for personalized construction safety monitoring is presented together with a model for integrating wearable sensors for multi-parameter safety performance monitoring. The characteristics of wearable devices and safety metrics capable of predicting safety performance and management practices are identified and analyzed. Strategies for the evaluation, selection, and implementation of vehicle intrusion sensing technologies for highway work zone safety are provided. The major contributions of this research involve the scientific data for collecting and evaluating safety leading indicators and innovative technologies, as well as an implementation guide for their application in construction. This research also provides best practices for construction management personnel that allows for the implementation of innovative safety technologies, as well as the use of collected data and information in operational procedures, safety training, and education.
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    Safety activity analysis framework to evaluate safety performance in construction
    (University of Alabama Libraries, 2015) Awolusi, Ibukun Gabriel; Marks, Eric D.; University of Alabama Tuscaloosa
    The construction work environment remains one of the most hazardous worldwide. As a result of dangerous working environments, construction workers often face safety and health risks throughout the construction process. However, it is worth noting that an emphasis on construction safety has increased mainly in the aspect of safety performance, and efforts are required to not only monitor but also seek to improve safety performance. The main objective of this research is to assess safety performance on construction sites using safety activity analysis technique. A safety activity analysis framework as well as a safety activity analysis tool are developed to facilitate the collection and analysis of the safety activity data for continuous evaluation of safety performance. Additionally, a case study is carried out to implement the framework and tool on an active construction project. Activity observation is used to continuously collect data of safe behaviors and conditions, along with unsafe behaviors and conditions on construction sites for analysis and decision making. It is expected that the observation results can be used to set improvement targets and provide continuous feedback so that construction workers can adjust their performance accordingly. The findings of the case study show that the safety index of the construction site ranged from 37.0% to 62.8% with an average of 53.8%. Results obtained also indicate that the stage of a construction process can affect the safety performance of a project. It was recommended that well-informed decisions and far-reaching efforts have to be made to ensure the safety index is brought as close as possible to 100% by reducing the unsafe behaviors and conditions on the construction site.