UAS4SAFETY: The Potential of Unmanned Aerial Systems for Construction Safety Applications

Changing from day to day, the construction jobsite is in a constant state of flux. This constant change presents challenges for safety managers who must be able to foresee, as much as possible, hazardous conditions before they cause injuries or fatalities on the jobsite. Advances in information and sensing technology show promise in protecting workers from harm. However, they rely on data collection methods, which may not be fast enough to allow managers to act on the information they receive. This paper evaluates the potential applications that unmanned aerial systems (UAS) have for enhancing safety on construction jobsites by providing real-time visual access to jobsite environments. The type of UAS considered in this study is a quadcopter-type system that can be piloted remotely using a smart phone, tablet device, or computer. The evaluation of the system consisted of a heuristic evaluation, as well as a user participation analysis, to determine the features of an ideal UAS for safety-related tasks on construction sites. The results of the heuristic evaluation revealed some of the user interface challenges of the UAS interface considering safety related tasks. The user participation evaluation involved a simulated task in the controlled environment of the lab of determining worker compliance with the use of required personal protective equipment. This experimental approach revealed that using the UAS with a large-size interface on a tablet device would provide an accurate view of a jobsite that would be useful for safety-related tasks. Recommendations for the required features of an ideal UAS for construction safety applications include autonomous navigation, vocal interaction, high-resolution cameras, and collaborative user-interface environment, among others. The ultimate goal of this effort is to have jobsites free of the hazards that affect the most precious resource of the construction industry, its workers.