Device-free detection to improve construction work health and safety

The Australian construction industry is identified as one among five industries to receive priority attention under the Australian Work Health and Safety Strategy 2012-2022. Among the recorded construction fatalities in 2012, vehicle incidents accounted for 15% and being hit by moving objects accounted for 10%. Tracking of individuals on-site could provide a technological solution to improve safety. This paper proposes a novel, non-tagging-based, wireless networking solution (called device-free localization) to enhance safety on site. Device free localization techniques use radio signal propagation effects such as multi-path fading and shadowing caused by the obstruction(s). The proposed solution defines zones in the construction site. Zone identification is based on the risk associated with the location map of the site. Defining risk profiles considers the activities associated with the geographic location, such as loading/unloading areas, truck, and vehicle entering area. The presence of workers entering a particular zone is detected based on this device-free detection technique, which will later be extended to localization. This paper proposes a framework for defining risk-associated zones for the construction sites for the effective implementation of device-free detection systems. Feasibility of the proposed device-free detection technique is verified by preliminary experiments done in an indoor environment with high multi-path fading.