Blockchain for fire-risk reduction in long-scale tunnel construction

Tunnel construction fire risk reduction is an integral component for tunnel construction safety. Recent fire cases during tunnel construction illustrate how existing management and prevention measures may fail in a fundamental and critical guarantee in the accuracy and authenticity of on-site information, thereby limiting the effectiveness of dynamic risk assessment management. To address this issue of information assurance, a fire risk reduction framework that integrates the Fault Tree analysis method with blockchain technology has been proposed. This framework develops some smart contracts and leverages digital signature to maintain data authenticity and ensure data immutability, contributing toward tunnel fire risk reduction by revealing responsible parties and maintaining information-source integrity. Based on this framework, a tunnel fire risk reduction platform using blockchain technology has been developed and applied in a practical engineering case study. The results indicate that this platform promotes open sharing of risk information, facilitates accident liability tracing, and supports dynamic risk assessment, ultimately improving the efficiency of fire risk reduction in tunnel construction.