A framework for automatic safety checking of Building Information Models

In the past two decades more than 26,000 U.S. construction workers have died at work. Of these fatalities, 40% involved falls. It is indicated that safety in construction remains a big problem. Safe construction requires planning throughout the project lifecycle, from design, planning, through construction execution and extending into operations and maintenance. The literature and past research show that there is a lack of tools and resources to assist designers and engineers with addressing construction safety. Despite the implementation of safety practices, most of them applied in the field are primarily text-based checklist. Further improvements can be gained in construction safety through the use of technology. This paper contributes in solving this problem by developing a framework of automatic safety checking to Building Information Models (BIM). The presented framework and case study extends BIM to include automated hazard identification and correction during construction planning and in certain cases, during design. As a result, the developed automated safety checking platform informs construction engineers and managers in knowing, why, where, when, and what safety measures are needed for preventing fallrelated accidents before construction starts.