You may already know, since the 1980s, construction has been the industry with the highest number of workplace fatalities. In July 2019, HSE publishes the UK annual workplace fatality report for the year 2018/19, which revealed that 147 workers died as a result of a workplace injury between April 2018 and March 2019 And among these 147 deaths, security breaches in the construction industry are responsible for losing 30 lives; shocking, huh?
Although the report also indicates that there has been a sharp reduction in the number of fatalities since 1981, we believe that it can be further reduced; Fatality can be easily avoided! How do you ask? Obviously avoiding ‘The Fatal Four’ causes of death at construction sites.
Injuries and death also hit the construction company’s budget. The estimated costs of fatal and non-fatal work injuries were a whopping £ 15 billion in 2017/18. One thing is clear from these statistics – the UK construction industry is struggling to ensure construction site safety! And the construction industry is recording staggering numbers in both the frequency and cost of injuries. The good news is that building information modeling can provide a promising solution to all construction concerns, including construction hazards!
BIM, the Trump card!
Building information modeling technology improves the quality of building planning, design, and construction methods. Detecting conflicts between construction trades and resolving them at the design stage itself makes the construction site safer. By relying on structural BIM services, architectural BIM services make it easy to identify potential collisions and mitigate those collisions before construction begins. Through the use of sensing technology, workplace deaths and injuries related to the impact of moving construction vehicles can be significantly reduced.
Off-site prefabrication and fabrication – The model-based approach makes it possible for general constructions to rely more on the prefabrication of off-site construction components in a controlled factory environment.
Scenario planning: Structural BIM services allow us to build a building component virtually before construction begins, making it possible for the general contractor to explore various what-if scenarios and avoid obvious hazards later while working on the construction site. In a BIM model, contractors can see different sequencing options, elevation alternatives, site logistics, and obviously they can get an idea of the cost associated with all of this! A BIM model can correctly guide contractors in predicting hazards.
Visual Communication – Building Information Modeling enables all stakeholders to visualize how each different building component is best constructed while ensuring maximum safety. Visual communication is also great for training workers on safety procedure.
Few examples of different construction companies using construction information models to ensure site safety
Let’s analyze the results of the Dodge Data & Analytics SmartMarket report:
• 37% more than a third of contractors and owners have reported a reduction of more than 5% in reportable incidents.
• More than 21% of respondents who did more than half of their work with BIM said they experienced a high or very high effect on safety.
Another study has also revealed results,
• 24% of MEP contractors have said that BIM has improved safety during the installation of different MEP components
• 27% of architects and QA have reported an improvement in overall security as a result of implementing BIM services.
According to this article, large companies also rely on BIM to ensure construction site safety,
• Lend Lease uses security models to sequence security and show the process of integrating models into the workflow.
• Skanska has reported that the BIM foundation is an effective way to eliminate risks for welders. Skanska has used BIM models to detail concrete and steel structures so well that the team can cast the recesses and attached beams four levels without anyone having to climb up the elevator shaft to weld it.
• Turner Construction uses BIM as a tool for four automated security logistics checks to prevent incidents from occurring. The company uses a 3D BIM model to analyze all construction and installation details before the teams arrive on site.
Parting words
Several studies have already suggested that the construction industry is saturated with traditional injury prevention strategies and we are still losing many fellow construction workers in the workplace. BIM can reduce the risk associated with construction work. Don’t just take our word for it; Various research shows that BIM improves safety in construction work. Many construction companies rely on architectural BIM services, structural BIM services for planning and safety training! So before you get left behind, you better start using BIM services!
