Risk Assessment for Using UAS in Construction: A Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process

In the last decade, Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) have started being used in the construction industry at an increasing rate. Previous studies focused on exploring their applications for a variety of tasks as well as measuring their impact on productivity. However, potential risks associated with UAS use on job sites, which could result in injuries to workers and damage to the site or environment, have not been studied adequately. Thus, this study attempts to fill this gap by identifying, assessing, and prioritizing the safety risk factors associated with UAS implementation in construction using a Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process (FAHP). A hierarchy model of safety risk factors associated with the use of UAS in construction was determined thorough literature review. In the next step, the identified risk factors were assessed based on the survey responses obtained from a qualified expert panel composed of members from both academia and industry. In the next step, the identified risk factors were ranked. This study makes an important contribution to practice by promoting awareness of the most serious safety risk factors associated with implementing UAS in construction. It is expected that industry professionals and decision makers could use this knowledge to design proper procedures and practices to mitigate high-level risks associated with using UAS in construction and take the necessary safety precautions.