Application of Visualization Technologies to the Design for Safety Concept

Construction industry is ranked first for occupational risks and workplace incidents among all industries. Popular belief assumes most of these incidents happen due to structural failures or worker carelessness. However research shows a link between design and construction site incidents. According to the literature, considerable number of accidents can be linked to the design phase. However, designers usually avoid focusing on construction safety due to legal complications. There are very few risk analysis and control methods available which can evaluate the degree of safety risks for different design options. This study aims to recommend some appropriate measures to enable designers to assess potential risks in construction and deal with it in the design phase. Visualization tools, based on Building Information Modeling (BIM), can help designers to detect potential accidents and play a major role in safety planning prior to the construction phase. This article establishes the ways in which integrated design and collaborative features of BIM can be used in enhancing safety on construction sites. The main objective of this paper is to prioritize the ways in which BIM can be utilized in improving construction safety. For this purpose we classified the appropriate measures that help BIM be more practical in safety management. Based on analysis performed on responses to a survey, the two measures ranked the highest were as follows: 1. Incorporation and development of various levels of detail into the BIM model, as it pertains to construction equipment, material and labor at the design phase 2. Integration of hazard potentials and prevention strategies with the 3D BIM model