Would the time-delay of safety data matter? real-time active safety system (RASS) for construction industry

Construction is a safety critical industry. Safety-related indicators can be used as efficient accident/incident precursors. However, delays between indicator data collection and reporting can undermine any possible advantages. The usefulness of indicator data diminishes within a fairly short period due to the dynamism of the construction process. To date, no research has sought to evaluate the efficacy of realtime collection, processing and delivery of safety-relevant data to appropriate persons within a construction safety context. We argue that it is crucial to monitor predictors of future safety performance levels in real-time. This paper proposes an innovative real-time safety monitoring system for construction health and safety based on a safety indicator framework. The proposed safety monitoring system incorporates project specific indicators as physical hazard indicators, management and perception leading indicators. The system integrates the dynamic nature of the construction site by measuring constructor safety leadership performance through a live on-site data capture mechanism. The system alerts appropriate persons where attention needed based on benchmarked and predicted analysis of safety measures. This enables a step-change in the use and effectiveness of leading indicators in construction safety, with a resultant improvement in workplace safety and health.